AAP MLA Naresh Balyan was sent to two-day police custody day after being arrested by Delhi Police's Crime Branch in connection with an extortion case. He was brought to the Crime Branch Office. It's a fake case and action was taken under pressure by the Bharatiya Janata Party, Balyan said when he was taken to the court.
The MLA from Delhi's Uttam Nagar Assembly segment was called to the Delhi Police's Crime Branch office in RK Puram for questioning and was later arrested on Saturday.
His arrest came hours after the BJP alleged that Balyan was involved in extortion activities and questioned why AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal has not taken action against him. The BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia released an alleged audio clip in which Balyan is reportedly heard speaking with a gangster about extorting money from a businessman.
Later, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya also posted a thread of posts attaching audio clips on X, giving details about the case. The authenticity of the audio clips is subject to a probe by the authorities. Malviya's post read, "Explosive: AAP MLA Naresh Balyan’s audio call with gangsters, extorting ransom from Delhi builders and businessmen, goes viral. Arvind Kejriwal is running an extortion network in Delhi and then blames the BJP for poor law and order."
AAP defends Balyan
The Aam Aadmi Party defended Balyan, claiming that his arrest was illegal. The MLA had refuted the BJP's allegations and said he would lodge police cases against those who "spread lies" about him.
A police official said that an audio clip of a conversation purportedly between Balyan and gangster Kapil Sangwan, currently based abroad, had gone viral on social media.
The conversation involved discussions about collecting extortion money from businessmen, he said, adding further investigation and interrogation was underway.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh alleged that since Kejriwal has started raising the issue of law and order and rising crime in Delhi, the BJP and the central government are "trying to harass and conspire against his party leaders".
"Balyan has been arrested under this conspiracy and the charges against him are baseless," Singh claimed.
"The BJP leaders have played a fake audio despite the High Court's order against it. Balyan himself complained to the police about multiple threats received by him from the gangster Kapil Sangwan," he claimed.
