Maliwal 'assault' case: Delhi Police seize CCTV DVR from Kejriwal's residence

NEW DELHI: A Delhi Police team reached the official residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal here on Sunday in connection with its investigation in the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, sources said.

They said the police team collected electronic devices, including a CCTV DVR (digital video recorder), to potentially get footage of the alleged assault on Maliwal on May 13, when Bibhav Kumar, Kejriwal's close aide, allegedly attacked her at the CM's residence.

Maliwal has alleged that the CCTV footage of the CM's residence was being tampered with.

Kumar was arrested on Saturday and produced in court, which remanded him to five-day police custody. The sources said Kumar is evasive in his replies during his interrogation. The Delhi Police booked Kumar for molestation and attempted culpable homicide after Maliwal's complaint.

The FIR includes charges under sections 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 341 (wrongful restraint), 354(B) (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 509 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code at the Civil Lines police station.

While granting police custody on Sunday, the court observed that "the fact that the video footage was not found in the pendrive provided by the JE to the IO during the course of the investigation and the mobile phone was formatted by the accused speaks volumes."

On Saturday night, Delhi Police had requested Kumar's custody, informing the court that the CCTV footage provided to them was blank. They also said that Kumar handed over his mobile phone but did not disclose the password. Additionally, the police claimed that Kumar had formatted his phone a day earlier, citing a malfunction.

The police further explained to the court that before a phone is formatted, its data should be cloned. Therefore, Kumar needed to be taken to Mumbai to retrieve the data, and his presence was essential for an expert to unlock the mobile phone.

The court also noted in the submissions of the police that this is not the first criminal case against the accused. The court said in the order that the accused has to be taken to Mumbai and other parts of Delhi, which will not be possible without police custody remand.

(With inputs from PTI, ANI and IANS)