NDA leaders on Sunday hit out at Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan over his remarks about being “targeted” because of his religion and said that if the Enforcement Directorate found evidence, his arrest would be valid.

They added that even though he was bailed in a different matter, the authorities might have found evidence proving his guilt in other cases.

On October 31, the Enforcement Directorate arrested Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan in a money laundering case in connection with the provisional attachment of land and buildings belonging to Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur district, valued at Rs 426.46 crore.

Speaking to the reporters before being taken away by the ED, Khan said, “Is this the punishment for being a Muslim?”

The fresh trouble for Azam Khan came against the backdrop of a short-lived relief offered to him and his son Abdullah Khan by the Allahabad High Court by suspending their sentence in the dual PAN card case, granting them bail on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters, Uttar Pradesh Minister of State Narendra Kashyap said, “The law, Parliament and the Constitution do not judge a person based on religion. The law judges a person based on their crimes.”

“If Azam Khan committed a crime, and evidence was found that he has more property than his income, or that he committed forgery, physical violence, or theft, then the investigation is valid,” he added.

Speaking to MEDIA, Bihar BJP State President Sanjay Saraogi firmly said the law is equal for all. “Claiming that you are being attacked and oppressed because of your religion is not going to exempt you from the crimes you have committed,” he said.

“A person who built an empire of Rs. 1170 crores by oppressing the poor, orphans, and weak farmers is playing the victim today,” Saraogi said.

“There is no religion in money laundering and corruption. No matter if someone thinks of themselves as the biggest of strongmen, one who loots public money has a place only inside a prison,” he added.

JD(U) National General Secretary Shyam Rajak said that, “On the one hand, the judiciary decided to bail him; on the other hand, there might be more cases in which he was accused by the ED. It doesn’t mean that if he is bailed in one crime, the other ones will be dissolved too”

JD(U) National Spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan said that Azam Khan had a strong influence when the Samajwadi Party ruled the state. “He committed many financial crimes then,” Ranjan said, adding, “It is a good opportunity for Azam Khan to prove his innocence to the financial institutions of the state.”

Shiv Sena spokesperson Krishna Hegde said, “The ED will question him in multiple matters. Azam Khan has already spent time in jail; his son has been released, but he will have to face the ED.”

One person was arrested on Sunday morning in an alleged gangrape of a woman at Subhashgram in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

However, four other accused persons in the case are still absconding, an insider from the state police said.

It is learnt that the woman, a housewife, was not a local resident. She had come to the area with her husband to visit her relative at Subhasgram, which comes under Ward No. 21 of Rajpur-Sonarpur Municipality in South 24 Parganas district.

Although the incident took place on the intervening night of October 30 and October 31, the police complaint was filed at the local Sonarpur Police Station on October 31, based on which the police registered an FIR and began an investigation.

Finally, one of the accused persons was arrested, while the other four against whom the complaint had been filed were absconding.

As per the police complaint filed by the victim, she went to a relative’s house in Subhasgram with her husband on October 30. On the intervening night of October 30 and October 31, at around 1:30 a.m., she and her husband were heading to another person’s house in the same locality.

Allegedly, at that time, five young men started following them and subsequently blocked their path. After that, as per the police complaint, the husband was severely beaten up by the five accused persons.

When the housewife screamed in a helpless state, as per the police complaint, one of the accused pulled out a knife and threatened her with fire consequences if she did not stop screaming. After that, she was allegedly dragged into an empty room nearby and raped there.

As per the police complaint, one of the five accused raped her while the other men were holding her hands and legs tightly. The victim and her husband were also threatened not to approach the police or inform anybody about the incident.

After the incident, the victim and her husband took shelter for the night at another local house. On Saturday, they went to the local Sonarpur Police Station and filed a formal police complaint.

The police registered an FIR and finally arrested one of the accused in the case. The remaining four accused are still absconding.

Tension prevails in the area, with the local police questioning why the police have yet to nab the other four, including the prime accused.

Delhi Police rescued a 13-year-old boy and arrested a 22-year-old man in an alleged kidnapping-for-ransom case within three hours of receiving information about the incident, officials said.

The police also recovered Rs 5,000 in cash, a mobile phone allegedly used to make the ransom call, and a scooty used in the crime. The accused was apprehended after he allegedly returned to a cybercafe to collect the ransom money through a transaction arranged by the police.

According to the police, the incident was reported at Jyoti Nagar police station on October 30 at around 7.15 p.m. The complainant told police that her son had gone out to purchase some items but had not returned home. She subsequently received a call from an unidentified person demanding Rs 40,000 for the safe release of the boy.

Following the complaint, a case was registered under Section 140(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and an investigation was launched.

A dedicated team led by Inspector Parvesh Kasana, Station House Officer of Jyoti Nagar police station, was constituted under the supervision of ACP Gokalpuri Tanvir Ashraf. The team collected technical evidence and analysed CCTV footage from the surrounding areas to trace the child and identify the accused.

During the investigation, the alleged kidnapper contacted the complainant again and reiterated the ransom demand. Police said the accused insisted on receiving the money through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and shared a barcode for the transaction.

To trace him, the police transferred Rs 5,000 through the UPI barcode using an account belonging to a police official.

The transaction led investigators to a cybercafe in the jurisdiction of Karawal Nagar police station, operated by Sunil Saini in Delhi’s Karawal Nagar area. During questioning, the cafe owner told police that a youth aged around 21-22 years had visited the establishment with a minor boy and used his UPI barcode to receive Rs 5,000 in exchange for a commission of Rs 50.

Police examined the cafe’s CCTV footage, and the complainant identified the kidnapped child in the recordings. To confirm the lead and trace the suspect, another transaction of Rs 5,000 was initiated through the same UPI barcode.

The accused allegedly returned to the cybercafe with the boy to collect the money in cash. Acting on the identification and assistance provided by the cafe owner, the police team apprehended him and rescued the child.

The accused was identified as Akash, 22, a resident of Loni in Uttar Pradesh. Police said he had no previous criminal involvement on record.

During interrogation, Akash allegedly disclosed that he worked as a delivery helper in the Sadar Bazar area and knew the victim through his cousin. He allegedly lured the boy onto his scooty before making the ransom call to the child’s mother.

The police recovered Rs 5,000 in cash, including the Rs 50 commission amount, along with the accused’s mobile phone and the scooty allegedly used in the kidnapping.

Officials said the prompt response, technical surveillance and CCTV analysis helped secure the boy’s safe recovery and arrest the accused within approximately three hours of receiving the initial information.