Written by PragyneshNew Delhi | October 2, 2025 01:05 AM IST 3 min readAccording to the police, Balyan was actively providing potential extortion targets to Sangwan in exchange for a cut in the profits.Former MLA and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Naresh Balyan has been booked under the stringent MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) by the Delhi Police for his alleged links with UK-based gang leader Kapil Sangwan (alias Nandu).Eight others have also been booked under the Act, aimed at controlling gang activity. All nine are in police custody.A trial in absentia has also been initiated against Sangwan – the first one against a “ganglord” since the new set of laws, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), were implemented last year, a senior police officer said.According to the police, Balyan was actively providing potential extortion targets to Sangwan in exchange for a cut in the profits.“Balyan was the sitting MLA of the AAP from Uttam Nagar constituency. He was actively facilitating the extortion activities and provided the targets, including local builders of the area, to the Kapil Sangwan aka Nandu gang. His role was later revealed from disclosure made by the co-accused and a voice clip of the conversation between him and Nandu that surfaced on social media,” Joint CP (Crime) Surender Choudhary said.Balyan, a two- time MLA from Uttam Nagar (2015 and 2020), was arrested in December 2024, a little over a month before the 2025 Delhi Assembly polls. His wife Posh contested polls from Uttam Nagar but lost to BJP’s Pawan Sharma.Balyan has four other criminal cases against him under sections pertaining to extortion, money laundering and facilitating organised crime.Story continues below this adA purported audio clip of him allegedly conversing with Sangwan on a phone call became public last year. The call, the police had alleged in their remand papers, was about the collection of ransom amount from a businessman through extortion.The case in question was filed by a businessman named Gurcharan, a resident of Mohan Garden, who alleged in July 2023 that he received an extortion call demanding Rs 1 crore from Sangwan. He also claimed that he was threatened with “dire consequences” if he failed to pay the amount.Sangwan’s incarcerated brother Jyoti Baba, currently lodged in Tihar jail, has also been charged under MCOCA, along with Vikas Gahlot, who allegedly financed the gang and handles the logistics, and Sahil, another gang member who has 11 murder cases lodged against him.Sangwan, meanwhile, continues to remain in the United Kingdom since jumping parole in 2019. A red-corner notice has already been issued against the gangster, who started his foray in the capital’s gang scene after his brother-in-law was allegedly gunned down by incarcerated gangster Manjeet Mahal.Story continues below this adA team led by DCP Harsh Indora and Additional CP (Crime) Mangesh Kashyap, under the supervision of Special CP (Crime) Devesh Srivastava, busted the financial and logistical bases of the Sangwan gang with the arrest of the nine accused, the Delhi Police said. Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:New Delhi