New Delhi/IBNS: The Delhi Police Saturday arrested Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Naresh Balyan in connection with an extortion case that was lodged last year, media reports said.

The legislator from Delhi's Uttam Nagar Assembly was called to the Delhi Police's Crime Branch office in R K Puram for questioning.

He was later arrested.

The arrest came hours after the BJP alleged that Balyan was involved in extortion activities.

The saffron outfit slammed AAP boss Arvind Kejriwal for not acting against him.

The AAP defended Balyan and claimed that his arrest was illegal. Balyan also refuted the BJP's charges, claiming to lodge police cases against those who "spread lies" about him.

A police official told the media that an audio clip of a conversation purportedly between Naresh Balyan and gangster Kapil Sangwan had gone viral on social media where the two are heard discussing collecting extortion money from businessmen.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh, meanwhile, alleged that ever since Arvind Kejriwal started raising the issue of law and order and rising crime in Delhi, the BJP and the Centre are "trying to harass and conspire against his party leaders".