In an embarrassment to the ruling AAP in Delhi, its MlA Manoj Kumar was on Thursday arrested by police in connection with a case of alleged cheating and land grabbing — the second arrest of a party lawmaker in a month.
Kumar, MlA from Kondli in East Delhi, was questioned in New Ashok Vihar Police station in connection with the case and later arrested. “We have arrested him in a case of cheating. The case was registered with New Ashok Vihar Police station,” said Joint Commissioner of Police, Eastern Range, Sanjay Beniwal.
A case of cheating was registered against Kumar following allegations that he duped his business partner Vinod of `6 lakh. Vinod had alleged in his complaint to police that Manoj used to work as a property dealer before venturing into politics. Vinod claimed that he was Manoj’s business partner and had given `6 lakh to him to purchase a plot in November 2012 but he did not repay the amount.
In April, a cross FIR was also filed after a clash between Kumar and a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporter in east Delhi’s Ghazipur area.
Investigators said a case of cheating was registered against Kumar last year.
“This is an old matter related to land fraud,” Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi said.
The JCP said the MlA has been charged under Section 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine forged document, 420 (cheating), 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC.
Kumar is the second AAP law maker to be arrested by Police. On June 9, the then law Minister Jitendra Singh Tomar was arrested on charges of possessing fake degrees. Tomar had later resigned from the Cabinet and has been in judicial custody.
The FIR, a copy of which is with The Pioneer, said, “Manoj and one lakhpath had shown me (Vijay) a property in Kondali village and the costs of that land was told to me about Rs 21 lakh. After finalising the deal, I gave Rs 6 lakh to Manoj as the token money. But when I again tried Manoj for registry of the plot he started avoiding me. later, I found the original ownership of the land belong to one Ml Singh, who live in Rajvir Colony.”
Manoj Kumar is an accused in three previous cases.
Meanwhile, the AAP has termed the arrest “vendetta politics and efforts to score revenge with the people of Delhi for drubbing the BJP in the Assembly elections.”
“The party strongly condemns the action and terms it as below the belt politics of BJP losing ground support in Delhi and elsewhere in the country,” AAP said in a statement.