NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Naresh Balyan was sent to tw0-day police custody in connection with an extortion case. Balyan was arrested on Saturday and was taken to Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court.
It has been alleged that he was operating with gangster Kapil Sangwan, who is behind many extortion and firing cases in the city.
“This is all fake, nothing else. I have been arrested under BJPs pressure,” Balyan told news agency PTI while leaving th eRouse Avenue Court.
The AAP MLA was under investigation since last year after an audio clip of a purported conversation between him and Sangwan, also known as Nandu, surfaced.
On Saturday, Balyan was called in for questioning in the case.
“They had asked for 5 days’ remand, but there was no such ground. The court also asked several times what grounds you have due to which you want your remand. Ultimately 2 day remand was given…There is no ground for arrest…There is no sample of the audio, there is no source, only social media has been made the base. We will file for bail and we have faith in the law…” advocate NC Sharma told news agency ANI.
A a senior crime branch officer said that he “didn’t co-operate and was evasive, prompting the need for custodial interrogation,”
He was arrested around 7 pm in FIR number 191/23, police said.
Earlier today, AAP leader and national convener Arvind Kejriwal claimed that Balyan was actually a victim himself.
Addressing a press conference at AAP headquarters, Kejriwal claimed that Balyan received a few phone calls from gangster Kapil Sangwan, alias Nandu, seeking extortion money, against which the MLA submitted complaints to Delhi police.
Kejriwal also read out some paragraphs from a purported complaint that Balyan allegedly submitted to the special commission of police in May 2023. “Balyan was arrested because he submitted a complaint to Delhi police against gangsters. If home minister Amit Shah has courage, he should arrest the gangsters,” Kejriwal said, adding that there were three attacks on him in the last few days.
“By arresting Balyan, the Home Minister has given a message that if you complain against gangsters, you can be attacked or arrested,” the former Delhi chief minister said.