Delhi Police Arrests AAP MLA Naresh Balyan Over Extortion Case, Set To Be Produced In Court Today

Delhi Police on Saturday (30 November) arrested AAP MLA Naresh Balyan in relation to an extortion case registered last year.

He will be produced before a Delhi court on Sunday (1 December) and the crime branch unit of the Delhi Police may seek police remand for him.

The legislator from Delhi's Uttam Nagar Assembly was reportedly summoned to the Crime Branch office in R K Puram for questioning before his subsequent arrest.

The arrest occurred shortly after the BJP accused Naresh Balyan of involvement in extortion activities and questioned why AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal has not taken action against him.

AAP defended Naresh Balyan, terming his arrest illegal.

The MLA had refuted the BJP's allegations and said he would lodge police cases against those who "spread lies" about him.

An audio clip of a conversation purportedly between Naresh Balyan and gangster Kapil Sangwan, currently based abroad, had gone viral on social media, news agency PTI reported citing a police official.

The conversation involved discussions about collecting extortion money from businessmen, the official said, adding further investigation and interrogation was underway.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh claimed that since Arvind 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".

"Naresh Balyan has been arrested under this conspiracy and the charges against him are baseless," Sanjay Singh claimed.

"The BJP leaders have played a fake audio despite the High Court's order against it. Naresh Balyan himself complained to the police about multiple threats received by him from the gangster Kapil Sangwan," he claimed.

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