Delhi: AAP MLA Arrested In Extortion Case; Sanjay Singh Calls Charges 'Baseless', Alleges BJP Used 'Fake Audio'

<p>New Delhi, Nov 30 (PTI) AAP legislator Naresh Balyan was arrested here on Saturday in connection with an extortion case lodged last year, police said.</p> <p>The MLA from Delhi's Uttam Nagar Assembly segment was called to the Delhi Police's Crime Branch office in R K Puram for questioning and was later arrested, they said.</p> <p>The development 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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>The conversation involved discussions about collecting extortion money from businessmen, he said, adding further investigation and interrogation was underway.</p> <p>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".</p> <p>"Balyan has been arrested under this conspiracy and the charges against him are baseless," Singh claimed.</p> <p>"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.&nbsp;</p> <h3><strong>AAP MLA refutes extortion charges levelled by BJP</strong></h3> <p>The BJP on Saturday alleged that AAP MLA Naresh Balyan was involved in extortion activities and questioned why his party chief Arvind Kejriwal has not taken action against him. The AAP legislator refuted BJP's allegations and said he will lodge police cases against those who "spread lies" about him.</p> <p>Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia and the party's Delhi president Virendra Sachdeva played an audio clip of a purported conversation of the AAP MLA with the gangster.</p> <p>Bhatia charged that the AAP was involved in threatening people and extorting money from them. He asked whether Kejriwal and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi will take action against the MLA and ask him to resign.</p> <p>"If they do not ask for his resignation, it will be deemed that the extortion money is going to the party and its leaders," he charged.</p> <p>Bhatia said that it was "election time" in Delhi and the AAP government was in "exit mode". People will not only "throw it out of power" but also ensure it's not able to remain in the opposition, he added.</p> <p>Dismissing the accusations levelled against him, Uttam Nagar MLA Balyan said, "I am sending notices to all those who have spread the false clip and getting FIRs registered against them. Remember, I am not a Congressman. Those who spread lies should be ready for legal action." BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya too targeted Kejriwal in a series of posts on X.</p> <p>"...Arvind Kejriwal is running an extortion network in Delhi and then blames the BJP for poor law and order," Malviya said.</p> <p>"...AAP has reduced Delhi to a cesspool of corruption," he added.</p> <p>AAP senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh dismissed the allegations by the BJP.</p> <p>"Arvind Kejriwal is raising his voice against the deteriorating law and order and rising crime in Delhi. Instead of stopping these crimes, BJP and Amit Shah are trying to stop Kejriwal. To stop our leader, they are now running a fake audio clip," Singh said.</p> <p>Singh added, "The audio clip has no authenticity and the Delhi High Court has imposed a stay on it. Despite this, the Bharatiya Janata Party - I must call it the 'Bharatiya Jhootha Party'- has once again circulated this clip." The BJP's allegation comes amid AAP's criticism of the Centre and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the alleged rise in crimes in Delhi. The AAP has alleged that the BJP and the Union Home Ministry has turned Delhi into "gangster capital".</p> <p><em><strong>(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)</strong></em></p>

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