AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan Arrested
WHAT HAS HAPPENED ?
Two weapons and Rs 24 lakh in cash were recovered from alleged aides of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan during raids by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of Delhi Police on Friday. The Anti-Corruption Branch, a unit of Delhi Police, raided several locations of AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan and his business partner, Hamid Ali Khan Masood Usman on Friday. The officials recovered one beretta weapon and some cartridges along with Rs 12 lakh in cash during the raid.
The police also recovered Rs 12 lakh cash as well as a weapon and live cartridges from Kausar Imam Siddiqui, who is an AAP worker and a close associate of Amanatullah Khan.
CALLED FOR QUESTIONING
The Anti-Corruption Branch of the Delhi government, which reports to Lt Governor VK Saxena had sent notice to Mr Khan, To appear for questioning over allegations of illegal appointment in the Delhi Waqf Board which oversees the administration of Islamic property dedicated to welfare causes.
The Okhla MLA was called for questioning at 12 pm yesterday in connection with the case, which was registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act in 2020.
First, he was questioned in the day, then the raids followed and by evening the Delhi Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan.
ALLEGATIONS AGAINST KHAN ?
"Mr Amanatullah Khan while working as Chairman of Delhi Waqf Board illegally recruited 32 persons violating all norms and Govt. guidelines and with allegations of corruption and favoritism.
The then CEO of Delhi Waqf Board had clearly given statement and issued memorandum against such illegal recruitment," said a press release from the anti-corruption office.
The anti-corruption unit has also claimed that its search team was "attacked by the relatives and other known persons of Mr. Amanatullah Khan" outside his residence.
The ACB further claims that the AAP leader "misappropriated the funds of Delhi Waqf Board comprising grants in aid from Delhi Government".
Earlier, the ACB had written to the Lieutenant Governor's Secretariat demanding that Mr Khan be removed as the Delhi Waqf Board chairman for allegedly hampering a probe by "bullying“ witnesses in a case against him.
COMPLAINT REGISTERED IN 2016
The Delhi government's revenue department's sub-divisional magistrate (headquarters) had in November 2016 filed a complaint, Alleging "arbitrary and illegal" appointments by Mr Khan to various existing and non-existing posts in the Delhi Waqf Board.
"We will probe details about the cash recovered from the houses of the two men. One of them is a member of the AAP.
We checked Khan's income tax records and saw that despite having so much cash and properties, in official records he has shown an income of less than 4 lakh," said an ACB officer privy to the probe details.
While Khan has in the past been arrested at least five times by the Delhi police, this is the first time he has been arrested in a corruption case.
FABRICATED CASE SAYS AAP
Meanwhile, the AAP said the case against the MLA is 'fabricated' and claimed nothing incriminating was found in the searches.
"Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan has been arrested in a baseless and outright fake case. Nothing was found from his residence or office during the raid.
This is a new conspiracy to implicate the MLA in a false case and defame the Aam Aadmi Party," an official party statement said.
CONCLUSION
Mr Khan is the latest of several AAP leaders being raided by central investigative agencies in what has turned into a bitter war of words between the Centre and the AAP.
