AAP leader Naresh Balyan was sent to judicial custody for two days on Sunday after his arrest in an extortion case. The Uttam Nagar MLA, however, insists that he was caught in a ‘fake’ case due to ‘pressure from the BJP’. Senior members of the party have also spoken out in support of the politician – with former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal insisting that Balyan was a “victim of gangsters”.
“It’s all fake, nothing more. “I have been arrested under pressure from the BJP,” Balyan told the media while exiting the Rouse Avenue court on Sunday afternoon.
The AAP MLA was detained by the Delhi Police Crime Branch on Saturday evening for questioning in a 2023 extortion case. Authorities later arrested him citing an audio clip of his conversation with notorious gangster Kapil Sangwan. During the conversation, there was reportedly discussion about collecting ransom money from businessmen.
The development came hours after the BJP on Saturday released an audio clip alleging that the AAP leader was talking to a gangster. The incident has sparked a fresh war of words between the two parties – with Balyan insisting that he will file a police case against those “spreading lies” about him.
“Naresh Balyan was arrested after he informed about the extortion calls he was receiving. He is a true soldier of Arvind Kejriwal. We are not scared. A message is being given that if you complain, you will be sent to jail.
Meanwhile, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal termed the MLA as a ‘victim of gangsters’, who had filed a complaint in the case in May 2023.
“Yesterday, one of our MLAs was arrested. That MLA had also become a victim of goons. He had given a written complaint to Delhi Police that he was receiving calls from Kapil Sangwan. He had complained to Dhaliwal Saheb. The complaint states that on May 23, 2023, a call was received from Nandu Gang after which he and his family were threatened.
(with inputs from agencies)
