Top boxer denies links to drug dealer

IANS/New Delhi India’s top boxer Vijender Singh yesterday sought to distance himself from the massive drug haul during a raid at Zirakpur in Mohali and said he had no links with the drug dealer who was nabbed by the Punjab police. Police raided a flat in Zirakpur and recovered 26kg of heroin worth Rs1.30bn. Police have arrested non-resident Indian Anup Singh Kahlon and his associate Kulwinder Singh from the flat and also recovered Rs130,000 from them. Vijender’s name cropped up after his wife’s car was found parked outside the building that housed the flat. The Beijing Games bronze medallist, who is in Mumbai, said his friends did use the car to drop him at the airport but was clueless as to how it reached Zirakpur. “I am shocked. I don’t know how the car reached the spot in Zirakpur. My friends did use the car to drop me at the airport but I don’t know what happened after that,” the former World No.1, who is a deputy superintendent of police in Haryana, told NDTV. The police is likely to call Vijender and his fellow boxer Ram Singh for interrogation. Vijender’s coach Gurbaksh Sandhu has come to the boxer’s rescue and said that the car was being used by boxer Ram Singh. Sources say Vijender’s car keys were with Ram Singh who had taken the car. Vijender admitted that he had met Kahlon once through Ram Singh but doesn’t know him personally. Kahlon, who is an NRI, reportedly claimed that he has close links with Vijender and Ram Singh. “I don’t know him personally. I think my name is being misused in this case. How can you trust a drug dealer. I think everything will be cleared soon,” he said. Sources said Kahlon is allegedly part of a bigger international drug peddling racket. Reportedly Kahlon is a truck driver in Canada and is part of a drug network in Punjab. Meanwhile, Vijender’s brother Manoj said his brother was not involved in the drug deal. “These allegations against my brother are completely baseless and we condemn it. Vijender was in Gurgaon and was not involved in any of these deals. We deny his involvement,” said Manoj. Punjab is reportedly a transit point for drug smugglers as the drugs makes it way from Pakistan and Afghanistan. Reports say 80% of smuggled drug goes undetected.