Delhi Police say MLA-led mob did not allow them to nab suspect

The Delhi Police on Monday filed an FIR against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan for allegedly obstructing police work, helping a proclaimed offender flee and attacking a police team in southeast Delhi’s Jamia Nagar.

Police said they had gone to Jamia Nagar on Monday noon to arrest Shahbaz Khan, who is involved in an attempted murder and Arms Act case, but the MLAs associates helped him flee. As per an FIR from January 2018, Shahbaz and his associates had attacked a group of three people over personal enmity, severely injuring one of them. Subsequently, Shahbaz was arrested for attempted murder and he was later released. He soon started skipping court dates and police summons, police said.

“On Monday, we were questioning him when all of a sudden, a group of men stopped us. They started asking us questions and pulled Shahbaz away. Before we could do anything, they said they are Amanatullah’s men and that he was nearby. We were all surrounded and the mob did not let us catch Shahbaz. They pushed us and thrashed us. Shahbaz managed to flee…” a senior police officer who had gone to the spot, said. Amanatullah allegedly later joined the mob.

Shahbaz is currently on the run. Police said they had gone to Amanatullah’s residence later in the day, but he was not present at the time.

Deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Ravi Kumar Singh said Shahbaz is a proclaimed offender. “The man was declared proclaimed offender by the court in a 2018 case. A crime branch team came here to arrest him. While he was being interrogated, Amanatullah arrived with his supporters and forced him to flee. This was clear obstruction in government work. Based on a complaint by the crime branch, we have lodged an FIR against him and his associates under Section 221 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita,” the DCP said, adding that they are checking who all are involved in the alleged attack.

Amanatullah could not be reached out for a comment on the matter.

Notably, Amanatullah secured the Okhla constituency in the 2025 Delhi assembly elections for the third time with more than 88,900 votes. He was arrested last year in September by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board (DWB) money laundering case. He was granted bail by the court in November 2024.