|
|
|
|
|
Boxers in the
drug ring Aman Sood Tribune News Service
He was not willing to give his samples to the Punjab Police team, which questioned him at Panchkula in the presence of Haryana police officers for more than three hours. The refusal puts a question mark on the boxer’s stance of never taking drugs and remaining available for probe. “He was asked to give his hair and blood samples in the presence of two government witnesses. But the boxer refused to do so,” said DIG (Ludhiana) MF Farooqui. “He answered some questions asked in a questionnaire but refused to elaborate on his possible links with Anup Singh Kahlon, claiming he knew Kahlon only through Ram Singh,” the DIG said. Farooqui said since Vijender’s name had figured during the course of the investigation, he would be asked to explain his position when the need arose. “Vijender is a responsible citizen and if we need to question him, he will be asked to join the investigations. But our priority now is to arrest the drug peddlers involved in the supply of contraband,” he said. “He (Vijender) admitted to having talked with Anup occasionally but claimed that he never realised he was a drug dealer,” the police officer added. Sources say the police team did not have a warrant against Vijender and the fact that he was questioned outside Punjab made it easier for the Haryana DSP to dodge difficult questions. On 21 calls made from his cell phone to Kahlon over a period of one month, Vijender claimed he was not aware of who made such calls. When asked why he once went to Kahlon’s residence at midnight, he said he didn’t remember any such the visit. The sources said the boxer’s answers indicated he had been briefed by his lawyer. He had sought one month’s time apparently to ensure that no trace of drug was left in his blood, they added. The SSP said the police would proceed against Vijender under the CrPC but refused to comment on reasons behind questioning the boxer at a Haryana police officer’s office instead of summoning him to Punjab. (Inputs from Mohit Khanna & Surinder Bhardwaj) Blow-by-blow account
"Vijender is a responsible citizen and if we need to question him, he will be asked to join the investigations. But our priority now is to arrest the drug peddlers involved in the supply of contraband."
Dodgy combo of sports, police, drugs Patiala, March 11
The police have denied the involvement of its men in the drug racket that was being run in the state. NRI drug lord Anup Singh Kahlon, a key accused who attempted suicide by slitting his wrist in police custody, is a former police officer fully acquainted with the working of the force. He quit his job over two decades ago and migrated to Canada where he got in touch with drug lords and returned only to make a fortune. “Kahlon got in touch with Jagdish Singh Bhola, an Arjuna awardee wrestler who is now a known name in drug trade circles. The notorious drug kingpin was sacked by the Punjab Police following his involvement in drug trade. He was allegedly instrumental in the supply and safe smuggling of heroin within Punjab from across the border,” a policeman probing the case said. “Jagdish Bhola and his activities worry us more than Vijender. Bhola is the main supplier of drugs to many circles,” said Ludhiana DIG MF Faooqui. Bhola was inducted into the Punjab Police in 1993 and later became an inspector. He also bagged the title of 'Rustum-e-Hind' in the Indian style of wrestling. However, 2001 onwards, Bhola was booked under the NDPS Act and later declared a proclaimed offender for his activities. “He is well-versed with police functioning and has, therefore, evaded arrest more than thrice,” said a police officer. International boxer Ram Singh’s name cropped up during the questioning of Kahlon by the Fatehgarh Sahib police. “Vijender and I consumed heroin more than twice. We thought it was a food supplement given by Kahlon, whom I knew well,” Ram Singh told the police. “Vijender would soon be questioned as a matter of procedure since his name has figured during the questioning of Kahlon and Ram Singh,” stated Farooqui, adding that a thorough probe is underway. However, the police reject the theory of the involvement of its officers in this high- profile drug nexus in Punjab. “We have no evidence on record that points that these drug peddlers had police protection. They were just lucky till we arrested them,” said Fatehgarh Sahib Senior Superintendent of Police HS Mann. However, the police side of the story has some unanswered questions. Why only boxers were named as drug users despite heroin being a top-notch drug? The recovered quantity of contraband was meant for a huge number of persons, then why did the police allow Ram Singh to give interviews and back-track from his statements in the media? "Jagdish Bhola and his activities worry us more than Vijender. Bhola is the main supplier of drugs to many circles... He is well-versed with police functioning and has, therefore, evaded arrest more than thrice"
Peddler brought from Delhi for questioning Fatehgarh Sahib, March 11 The accused has been brought on a 15-day production warrant after his name surfaced during interrogation of drug peddler and hawala racketeer Manpreet Singh Mani who along with Gabbar Singh was arrested on March 8. Senior Superintendent of Police HS Mann in a press conference this evening said Paramjit would be interrogated to unravel the modus operandi adopted by international drug traffickers. He said Paramjit was part of an international drug chain and could provide crucial information about the drug lords operating from outside the country. On rumours over the arrest of Jagdish Singh Bhola, the kingpin in the 130-crore heroin racket, the SSP said these were mere speculation as Bhola was yet to be arrested. He said raids were being conducted at possible hideouts of the accused. His arrest may provide fresh information about the drug chain in the country, he added. On Vijender Singh’s role in the racket, Mann said no such link had been established so far. He said they were yet to work on the recovery of Vijender’s car from outside Anup Singh Kahlon’s house in Zirakpur. Meanwhile, Sunil Katyal, a Ludhiana chemist, was today produced in a local court, which remanded him in two-day police custody. Drug Trail
Ram Singh misleading police: DIG Ludhiana, March 11 “Heroin is not consumed, rather it is sniffed,” said DIG (Ludhiana Range) MF Farooqui. Sources said Ram Singh and Vijender had tried the contraband four to five times. The police claimed the boxers were involved in the consumption and not smuggling of heroin, sources said. “Ram Singh is a professional boxer and has represented the country at the international level. Do you think he cannot differentiate between drugs and flood supplements? What kind of food supplement is sniffed and not consumed? These are all lame excuses,” said Farooqui. The police has not ruled out the involvement of customs officials in helping the drug peddlers traffic the contraband. “Not just from our side, customs officials from other countries may be involved in the nexus,” he claimed.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Panchkula/Patiala, March 11
Key accused NRI Anup Singh Kahlon, from whose Zirakpur house the 26-kg contraband was seized, is a former policeman-turned drug peddler while racket kingpin Jagdish Singh Bhola, who is on the run, was a Punjab Police inspector. Ram Singh, who admitted that he and Beijing Olympics bronze medallist Vijender Singh — a DSP with Haryana Police — consumed drugs, is a Punjab Police head constable. Vijender has maintained he did not consume drugs. 