ED contacts Apple to get Arvind Kejriwal's iPhone while it is being held, but encounters a password issue: Report

Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, departs at Rouse Avenue Court on Thursday in New Delhi, India.

Arvind Kejriwal's Arrest: According to sources familiar with the matter, Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigators, who have been holding Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in custody for more than a week, have contacted Apple for assistance in accessing his iPhone.

According to the source, ED has formally contacted Apple, the phone's maker, in an attempt to acquire access to Kejriwal's iPhone. However, they were told that a password was necessary to get any data.

Senior authorities involved in the probe claimed that during interrogation, the Chief Minister stated that accessing his phone data and chats would offer information about the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) "election strategy" and pre-election alliances.

According to reports, the ED has recovered no electronic evidence from the Chief Minister's personal laptops or PCs. However, they seized four cell phones, including his. On March 21, his arrest resulted in the discovery of roughly ₹70,000 at his apartment, which was not seized. Sources informed IE that the Chief Minister had turned off his iPhone and had not divulged his password.

The Chief Minister informed the ED that he had been using the same phone for almost a year and that the device he used to create the liquor policy in 2020-2021 was no longer in his possession.

Earlier on Saturday, the ED quizzed Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot for around five hours and recorded his testimony in connection with a money-laundering inquiry into the AAP government's now-abolished excise policy.

Gahlot, 49, is an AAP politician and Najafgarh MLA who works as the minister for transport, home, and law in the Delhi government under Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has been detained in connection with the case by the federal agency.

According to reports, Gahlot was questioned about the formation of the excise policy for 2021-22 while serving in the Group of Ministers (GoM) alongside former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and former urban development minister Satyendar Jain.

Gahlot said he was summoned by the ED for interrogation in the matter because "probably I was part of the GoM..." It (the inquiry) included all areas of the policy, and I responded to the best of my knowledge and recall," PTI said.

The excise case includes alleged corruption and money laundering in the drafting and implementation of the Delhi government's tax policy for 2021-22, which was later revoked.

Following a suggestion by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was charged with looking into the alleged anomalies in the formulation and implementation of the liquor policy. The ED filed a complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Previously, the ED seized AAP leaders Sisodia and Sanjay Singh in connection with the investigation, and they are now in judicial custody.

The Aam Aadmi Party and its officials have continually denied claims of impropriety, with Kejriwal claiming that the case was staged by the BJP-led Centre to depict AAP as corrupt.