Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Sunday remanded Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Naresh Balyan to two days of police custody in connection with an extortion case.
Naresh Balyan was arrested by the Delhi Police Crime Branch on Saturday.
“Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has arrested Naresh Balyan, MLA of the Delhi Legislative Assembly, in connection with an extortion case. The arrest followed the examination of an audio clip featuring a conversation between the MLA and notorious gangster Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu,” the Delhi Police posted on X on Saturday.
This development follows the release of an audio clip by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), purportedly featuring the AAP legislator from Uttam Nagar instructing gangster Kapil Sangwan, also known as Nandu.
“In this case, there is an audio recording of a conversation between Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu and AAP MLA Naresh Balyan available in the public domain. The ongoing action by the Delhi Police against gangsters operating from abroad also aims to identify their local associates. The primary objective of organised crime conducted from abroad is financial gain,” the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) said.
On Saturday, BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia alleged that Naresh Balyan was involved in extortion with the assistance of a gangster, claiming that “gangsters are the biggest supporters of AAP.”
Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Bhatia stated, “AAP has become a party of goons. Gangsters are the biggest supporters of AAP. They openly extort money by threatening the common man under the instructions of AAP MLAs. With the consent of Arvind Kejriwal, AAP MLAs are running extortion rackets by intimidating innocent citizens.”
“In an audio clip of AAP’s ‘extortionist’ MLA Naresh Balyan, he is heard talking to a gangster about extorting money from a builder. Is it the job of an MLA, who has sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution, to threaten citizens and run an extortion racket with Kejriwal’s approval?” Bhatia added.