Union Minister of State Harsh Malhotra on Tuesday accused the AAP-led Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) of involvement in an alleged scam related to the sale of vehicles seized by the police or civic body in the national capital.

Addressing a press conference, Malhotra stated that before 2021, 45 vehicles were auctioned, with bids reaching as high as Rs 21 lakh. However, after the AAP assumed control of the MCD in 2022, 609 vehicles were identified for auction in 2023-24.

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Of these, 281 vehicles—including cars, scooters, three-wheelers, and Vikram autos—were reportedly sold directly for just Rs 2.3 lakh, pricing each vehicle at an average of Rs 800.

Malhotra alleged that 328 vehicles were declared missing and raised concerns over the lack of accountability. He criticized AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, highlighting his 2022 MCD election promise to clean up Delhi’s garbage.

Instead, Malhotra claimed, the administration has “reduced the city’s dignity to garbage” by recklessly selling vehicles and allegedly siphoning off crores of rupees.

The minister further explained that vehicles seized by the police or MCD are typically auctioned periodically to free up parking spaces. Such auctions are conducted for vehicles with no ownership claims.

Malhotra questioned the rationale behind selling entire vehicles for Rs 800, emphasizing that scrap iron itself is sold by weight and would fetch much higher prices.

He expressed astonishment over the missing record of 328 vehicles and the lack of information on their whereabouts.

Malhotra also alleged that this issue concerns only the Shahdara zone, where Kejriwal and his team are accused of perpetrating a scam worth crores of rupees. He suggested that similar irregularities might exist in the other eleven zones under the MCD.