‘Punjab govt’ car seized in Delhi; Cash, liquor, and AAP pamphlets found, BJP slams Kejriwal’s party

Notably, the vehicle was seized less than a week before the Delhi Assembly elections.

New Delhi: A car with a Punjab number plate and ‘Punjab government’ label was found in the national capital’s Punjab Bhavan on Copernicus Marg on Wednesday night. After checking the vehicle, police seized a huge amount of cash, liquor bottles, and Aam Aadmi Party pamphlets from the car. Following the recovery, the Delhi Police registered a case and initiated necessary legal proceedings.

Notably, the vehicle was seized less than a week before the Delhi Assembly elections.

As soon as the news was out, the Punjab Government promptly responded and issued a clarification, stating that the registration number on the car was ‘forged and fake’ and that it did not belong to any state government or its employees.

On Wednesday night, Tilak Marg police station received information that a suspicious car with a Punjab number plate was parked near Punjab Bhavan. A team of cops reached the spot, and after inspection, cash worth lakhs, liquor bottles, and various pamphlets of the Aam Aadmi Party were found, Delhi police said.

Appropriate legal action is being initiated at Police Station Tilak Marg of New Delhi District, the police said.

The Bhartiya Janata Party slammed the AAP party over the recovery. BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal stated that the incident has “exposed the disgusting face of AAP.”

“Delhi police have caught a vehicle of Punjab government and cash and liquor has been recovered from it. With this, the disgusting face of AAP has been exposed in Delhi. They have fooled the public of Delhi in the name of ‘Aam Aadmi’…Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP government is functioning in Delhi on the foundations of corruption, scams and lies. There will be a change in Delhi and a BJP government will be formed,” the BJP MP told news agency ANI.

AAP’s national spokesperson, Priyanka Kakkar counter BJP’s allegations, terming them as “hilarious accusations.” She said that the owner of the vehicle is from Maharashtra but is being falsely shown bas eing from the national capital.

“This is a hilarious allegation and the Punjab government has also issued a clarification that no car with this number plate belonged to the Punjab government. The car never entered Punjab Bhawan. The registration number of the vehicle is of a Ford Ecosport car… The owner of the vehicle is from BJP-ruled Maharashtra, but they are showing that the owner of the vehicle is from Delhi,” Kakkar told ANI.

The Punjab government has clarified that the vehicle is registered to Maj. Anubhav Shivpuri, who was assigned to the Army Dental College in Pathankot three years ago and is a permanent resident of Khadki, Maharashtra.

“The registered vehicle model on the registration number PB35AE1342 is the Ford Eco Sport of make year 2018 but the actual vehicle apprehended by the police belongs to the Hyundai Creta series. This confirms that the vehicle’s number plate is forged and fake. High-Security Registration Plate (HSRP) is mandatory for all vehicles, and the registration plate visible in the video is an ordinary one, without the features of HSRP, hence easy to forge,” the statement read.

The statement dismissed any link to the Punjab government, asserting, “Our records show that there is no vehicle owned or rented by the Government of Punjab. The seized vehicle is not associated with the Government of Punjab in any way.” The elections in Delhi are scheduled for February 5, with vote counting set for February 8. A competitive race is ongoing among the ruling AAP, BJP, and Congress, with each party criticizing the others on multiple issues in the capital.

(with agency inputs)