NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Naresh Balyan will be produced before a Delhi court on Sunday in connection to a year-old extortion case for his alleged links with a gangster.
Balyan, representing west Delhi's Uttam Nagar, was arrested on Saturday, hours after the BJP released an audio clip in which the AAP MLA was allegedly heard talking to gangster Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu about threatening and extorting ransom from a Delhi builder and other people.
The crime branch obtained an audio recording of a conversation with Nandu, who has fled to London. Balyan was taken in for questioning at the crime branch's office in RK Puram, South Delhi, and was subsequently arrested on Saturday.
Additionally, Delhi Police's crime branch unit may seek police remand for the MLA.
In the audio clips shared by the BJP during a press conference here on Saturday, the gangster is purportedly heard asking the AAP legislator to make quick decisions about whether he wanted to engage him or not. However, IANS could not verify the authenticity of the audio clips.
Delhi BJP President Virender Sachdeva alleged the gangster speaking to AAP legislator in the audio clip is London-based gangster Kapil Sangwan, a native of Najafgarh in West Delhi.
Accusing AAP leaders of involvement in extortion from businessmen and builders in Delhi, BJP National Spokesman Gaurav Bhatia released the three audio clips at a press conference in New Delhi.
Bhatia described Balyan as an "extortionist" who has been harassing builders with the consent of AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and engaging gangsters to collect protection money from traders and builders.
The BJP leader also highlighted how, during the extortion discussions, the MLA and gangsters purportedly agreed to split the extortion money through "hawala."