New Delhi, December 2
The Aam Aadmi Party’s Uttam Nagar MLA Naresh Balyan was arrested by the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch in connection with an extortion case registered last year.
The crime branch stated that the arrest was made after an investigation revealed an audio clip of a conversation between Balyan and notorious gangster Kapil Sangwan, also known as Nandu, who is currently based abroad. The conversation allegedly involved discussions about collecting ransom money from businessmen.
The FIR in the matter was registered in August 2023 against a man named Ashru for forcibly entering the house of a man and beating up his family in June last year. One of Ashru’s three accomplices had shot at the man and threatened to kill him. The bullet did not hit the victim, the FIR states. Balyan is not named in the FIR. His involvement is not mentioned either. Investigation, police sources, has revealed the involvement of gangster Sangwan.
Balyan said in a post on X before his arrest, “I am sending notices to all those who have spread the false clip and getting FIRs registered against them… Those who spread lies should be ready for legal action".
The arrest was on November 30 on the same day that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in a press conference, played an audio clip, claiming it was a conversation between Balyan and a gangster. AAP, however, called the audio clip fake and pointed to court orders against its circulation.
