ED Arrests AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan After Marathon 6-Hour Intensive Questioning

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan was arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an ongoing money laundering investigation linked to the Delhi Waqf board case.

Khan, who has been facing charges related to illegal recruitment and financial misconduct during his tenure as the chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board, announced the ED's arrival on social media, stating, "ED people have just arrived at my house to arrest me."

Photo Credit: PTI

As the ED conducted their search, a substantial deployment of Delhi Police and paramilitary forces was stationed outside Khan's residence in Okhla, the constituency he represents in the Delhi Assembly.

The probe agency also reportedly grilled Khan for a good six hours.

Visuals from the scene depicted officers meticulously reviewing documents and other materials while maintaining a heavy security presence on the roads leading to Khan's home.

In a video posted on social media, Khan accused the government of specifically targeting him and other AAP leaders.

"Just this morning, on the orders of the dictator, his puppet ED has reached my house. The dictator is leaving no stone unturned to harass me and AAP leaders. Is it a crime to serve the people honestly? How long will this dictatorship last?" Khan questioned, framing the raid as an act of political persecution.

अभी सुबह-सुबह तानाशाह के इशारे पर उनकी कटपुतली ED मेरे घर पर पहुँच चुकी है, मुझे और AAP नेताओं को परेशान करने में तानाशाह कोई कसर नहीं छोड़ रहा।

ईमानदारी से अवाम की ख़िदमत करना गुनाह है?

आख़िर ये तानाशाही कब तक?#EDRaid #Okhla pic.twitter.com/iR2YN7Z9NL

— Amanatullah Khan AAP (@KhanAmanatullah) September 2, 2024

AAP leaders quickly came to Khan's defense, condemning the ED's actions and suggesting that his arrest was imminent.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh took to social media to criticize the ED's actions, alleging that Khan was being targeted as part of the BJP's political vendetta.

Singh remarked, "Look at the cruelty of ED @KhanAmanatullah first he joined the ED investigation, then asked for time for further time, his mother in law has cancer, she has undergone an operation, they reached the house early in the morning to raid. There is no evidence against @KhanAmanatullah but both Modi's dictatorship and ED's hooliganism continue."

ED की निर्दयता देखिये @KhanAmanatullah पहले ED की जाँच में शामिल हुए उनसे आगे के लिए समय माँगा, उनकी Mother In Law को कैंसर है उनका ऑपरेशन हुआ है घर में सुबह सुबह धावा बोलने पहुँच गये।@KhanAmanatullah के ख़िलाफ़ कोई सबूत नहीं है लेकिन मोदी की तानाशाही और ED की गुंडागर्दी दोनों… pic.twitter.com/GyhduaghJB

— Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) September 2, 2024

Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who himself was recently released on bail in the liquor policy case, also spoke out against the raid.

He tweeted, "This is the only work left for ED. Suppress every voice raised against BJP. Break it. Arrest and put in jail those who do not break or get suppressed."

The ED's case against Khan stems from allegations that he engaged in illegal recruitment of staff and unfair leasing of Waqf Board properties between 2018 and 2022, leading to financial gains through illegitimate means.

The probe agency has claimed that Khan acquired "huge proceeds of crime" in cash through these activities and subsequently invested them in purchasing immovable assets in the names of his associates.

Khan has previously been questioned by the ED for over 12 hours in connection with the case.

Earlier this year, the Delhi High Court refused to grant him anticipatory bail, citing his repeated evasion of summons from investigating agencies, and the Supreme Court also denied him protection from arrest.