Controversy ensued on Wednesday night after Delhi Police seized a car carrying liquor, cash and AAP pamphlets. The vehicle with 'Punjab Sarkar' labelled on it was seized by the Delhi Police's 'Flying Squad'.
Delhi Police officials said the Tilak Marg police station received information of a suspicious vehicle with a 'PB' number registration number 'PB35AE1342' and 'Punjab sarkar' written on it. The vehicle was parked near Punjab Bhavan and inspection revealed it had cash worth over Rs 10 lakh, pamphlets of the Aam Aadmi Party and multiple liquor bottles.
#WATCH | Today information was received that one suspicious vehicle with a Punjab registration plate and 'Punjab Sarkar' written on it is standing near Punjab Bhavan on Copernicus Marg. On searching, a huge amount of cash, many liquor bottles and pamphlets of Aam Aadmi Party were… pic.twitter.com/oLmLYrk8mL
— ANI (@ANI) January 29, 2025
The AAP-led Punjab Government has denied that the vehicle was owned by it and alleged that the vehicle's number plate was forged and fake. The number can be tracked to a different car not owned by the Punjab government, the statement read.
The statement added that the number of the vehicle was originally linked to a a 'Ford Eco Sport' model of 2018 but the one seized by the Delhi Police was 'Hyundai Creta'.
Official records say the vehicle was registered in the name of a man posted in the Army Dental College in Pathankot three years back, and that he was a permanent resident of Khadki in Maharashtra. "This confirms that the vehicle number plate is forged and fake," it said.
"The High Security Registration Plate is mandatory for all vehicles but the registration plate of the seized vehicle is an ordinary one, without the features of HSRP," it said.
But, the incident triggered a political slugfest with Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva expressing shock over the incident. Sachdeva said AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal institutionalised corruption in Delhi government. "He not only polluted Yamuna and Delhi's air but has polluted Delhi's political system too," Sachdeva said.
"Arvind Kejriwal is losing the Delhi elections, so now the focus is on liquor and money. He was already a liquor businessman but the money from 'Sheesh Mahal' is now being used in Delhi assembly elections. We have appealed to the police that strict checking and search should be done on all borders of Punjab and Delhi because the Punjab government and Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party are smuggling liquor and money in government vehicles," Sachdeva added.
However, AAP rubbished the allegations, calling it "totally fake and laughable".
A statement by AAP said there is no entry record of the vehicle at Punjab Bhawan. "Conveniently (it was) parked with no driver in sight. Owner details trace back to someone from Pathankot, now in Punjabi Bagh, but originally from Pune. A planted stunt'?poorly executed and utterly bogus," it said.
