Ahmedabad: Gujarat Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi, on Friday alleged that one of the individuals arrested in connection with a fake Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid in Kutch district is a "general secretary" of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The Arvind Kejriwal-led party has denied the claim.
The incident took place on December 2 in Gandhidham, where 12 individuals allegedly conducted a Bollywood-style fake ED raid at a jeweller's premises, stealing jewellery worth ₹22.25 lakh. Kutch-East police arrested the accused, including Abdul Sattar Manjothi, on December 4.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Sanghavi stated, "Abdul Sattar, who was part of the fake ED team arrested by police, is the official general secretary of AAP."
The AAP quickly denied the allegation, accusing the minister of making baseless claims to tarnish the party's image. Senior AAP leaders stated that Abdul Sattar Manjothi has no connection with the party and demanded evidence to substantiate the accusation.
Meanwhile, the police revealed that the accused impersonated ED officials to execute the heist. They intimidated the jeweller and seized the valuables under the guise of conducting a raid. Investigations are underway to uncover the full extent of the conspiracy and the involvement of the arrested individuals.
The incident has sparked a political row, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and AAP trading barbs. While the BJP claims it exposes AAP's alleged misdeeds, the latter accuses the government of misusing agencies and spreading false narratives.
The police have registered a case against the accused under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, and further action is being taken.
