Olympian Vijender Singh refutes drug link

Olympic boxer Vijender Singh and fellow boxer Ram Singh are being called in for questioning by the police after a drug-bust led to their names being associated with the drug peddlar, as reported by a leading Indian news channel.

Zeenews Sports Bureau

Mohali: Olympic medal winning boxer Vijender Singh and fellow boxer Ram Singh are being called in for questioning by the police after a drug-bust led to their names being associated with the drug peddlar. The recent series of events began on March 03 when a drug peddlar, Anup Singh Kahlon, was arrested with 540g of heroin. Upon further questioning Kahlon and Rocky, his partner in crime, mentioned the names of two boxers and claimed they had supplied them with drugs and heroin. Further investigation uncovered a major international drug peddling racket as the police recovered 26 kg of heroin, worth around Rs 130 crore, in the traffickers` flat in Zirakpur, Mohali. The police are treading carefully here and they say they have no reason to believe the drug-traffickers: "We just recovered Vijender`s car at some distance from the arrested NRI`s house and there is nothing much after the initial probe to tell," Fathegarh Sahib SSP Hardyal Singh Mann said. "In the initial probe there has been nothing to tell. Besides, it appears there is no link of the boxer with the person from whose house the heroin was seized," he added. The twist in the tale came when the police also discovered Vijender Singh`s wife`s car outside the same flat in Zirakpur, adding a loose link to the case. While no drugs were found in her car and the incident may just be a coincidence, what`s certain is that this is a major drug bust and the Punjab police may be able to break up a big international trafficking route. Vijender Singh has, upon hearing these recent developments, denied any involvement with the drug-traffickers, claiming that his car was actually with Ram Singh instead. "I am shocked," he said over the phone, "I am in Mumbai right now for work. My friends dropped me at the airport in my wife`s car. I don`t know how it reached outside that Zirakpur flat." He also expressed his ire at having his name dragged into this for what he perceives to be no reason at all. "My friends could have used that car after dropping me but I don`t understand how can my name be dragged into this. The police has already clarfied that nothing was recovered from the car. And they have not even contacted me," he said. The medal-winning boxer further distanced himself from the drug-peddlar saying that such a person's statement shouldn't be believed: "If he is a drug peddler then how can his word be trusted. If I abuse drugs, won`t I be caught in dope tests. Even now, I am open to being tested if it is required. I am sure by evening everything will become clear. I have no links to any of the persons being named by the police." Latest reports, meanwhile, seem to suggest that his colleague Ram Singh is being held by the police and questioned regaring the incident.