A Delhi court on Saturday sent AAP MLA and Delhi Waqf Board Chairman Amanatullah Khan to four-day custody of the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in a case related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board recruitment. The anti-graft body had sought 14-day custody of the Okhla legislator in its plea.
Sources in the ACB said Mr. Khan was “not cooperating” with interrogators since he was placed under arrest on Friday evening.
According to a senior ACB official, Mr. Khan is accused of illegally appointing 32 persons in various capacities, soon after his tenure as Chairman of the Board began, and paying their salaries, leading to an accumulated loss of ₹3 crore to the State exchequer. The anti-graft body is also investigating the illegal renting out of Waqf properties as part of the case.
Mr. Khan’s close aide Hamid Ali was arrested on Saturday, a day after the ACB conducted raids at four premises in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board recruitment. A police source said Mr. Ali works as a property dealer in the area.
Another aide of the MLA, Kaushar Imam Siddiqui alias Laddan, is evading arrest, police officers said.
Three FIRs registered
A senior police officer said three FIRs have been registered by the ACB. “The first FIR under Arms Act has been registered against Hamid Ali, 54, and he has been arrested. An illegal weapon and some live cartridges have been recovered from his house,” DCP (south east) Esha Pandey said.
Ms. Pandey said the second case under Arms Act has been registered against Mr. Siddiqui. “A countrymade pistol and three live rounds were recovered from his place. Siddiqui, however, is evading arrest,” the DCP said.
“A third case of obstructing the raiding party — the ACB team — in the discharge of government work has also been registered,” the DCP added.
“When the ACB team was conducting the raids, the family members of Mr. Ali and Mr. Khan tried to stop them. We have identified four-five people who were involved in the obstruction of the work,” a senior police officer said.
Shafia Khan, Mr. Khan’s wife, said the ACB couldn’t find any incriminatory evidence during the search of their house. “Despite no proof, the media and those in power have been framing him [Mr. Khan] as a criminal and defaming his name,” Ms. Khan claimed.
She shared a video through her husband’s Twitter account and wrote that police officers searched their house after Mr. Khan went to the ACB office. “Police officers can be clearly heard in the video saying that nothing has been found in the search. But the media, which is called the fourth pillar of democracy, is misleading by spreading false news,” Ms. Khan said in the tweet.
