New Delhi: Goa AAP chief Amit Palekar was arrested by Goa Crime Branch on Thursday for allegedly misrepresenting facts in connection with a road rage case wherein a Mercedes car mowed down three people near Panaji earlier this month, news agency PTI reported. He was taken into custody from his office in Panaji, a police official said.


According to a senior police official, Palekar has been accused of misrepresenting facts by introducing a wrong person as the car driver before the investigation officer in an attempt to save the main accused who was at the wheels at the time of the accident, reported PTI.


However, Palekar called it “dirty politics" and said that he had nothing to do with the crime.






Talking to reporters while he was being taken away by police, Palekar also claimed that he was offered to join the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a couple of days back, but he refused.




“I was told that 'we will teach you a lesson if you don't concede our request',” Palekar said without naming anyone.




Palekar was arrested under Indian Penal Code section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender), the police official said.


According to PTI, Earlier, businessman Paresh Sawardekar, who owns a chain of supermarkets and a real estate firm, was arrested after the Mercedes car he was allegedly driving in an inebriated condition on August 7 hit five vehicles in Banastarim village near Panaji, killing three persons, police had said.


The accident took place on the Ponda-Panaji national highway, around 15 kilometres from the state capital, he said.