IANS/Chandigarh
Police yesterday arrested boxer Ram Singh in connection with the recent recovery of a huge quantity of heroin and other drugs worth nearly Rs5bn in Punjab.
The police last month busted an international drugs racket operating from the northern state.
Ram Singh is a fellow boxer and former roommate of Olympic bronze medal winner and star boxer Vijender Singh. Police earlier claimed, based on Ram Singh’s statements, that he and Vijender had consumed heroin five and 12 times respectively between December 2012 and February this year.
The federal sports ministry yesterday asked the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) to carry out a test on Vijender following the latest drugs controversy around him. The blood and urine tests were conducted yesterday.
“The Fatehgarh Sahib police today arrested boxer Ram Singh in the drugs case already registered against international smugglers Anoop Singh and others. He is the 16th accused who has been arrested in this case,” a Punjab police spokesman said.
Police investigators said Ram Singh, who had been questioned several times, was arrested after huge quantities of lifestyle drugs and raw materials for these drugs were recovered from his brother-in-law Ravi Deol.
“He (Ram Singh) was summoned to join the investigation in this case after the name of Ravi Deol surfaced in this case and heavy recovery of drugs (5kg Ice and 90kg Pseudophedrine) was made from his parental house in Sangrur. Ram Singh was continuously in touch with Ravi Deol who is a proclaimed offender and a smuggler,” the spokesman said.
However, family members and some fellow boxers claimed that Ram Singh had been illegally detained by Punjab police for the past one month without formally arresting him or taking him into custody.
“During intensive questioning it was found that Ram Singh has deeper connections with the smugglers and necessitated his custodial interrogation,” the police spokesman said.
Fatehgarh Sahib police made their first seizure of over 28kg heroin, worth Rs1.3bn in the international market, on March 7 from Zirakpur town on the outskirts of Chandigarh.
It then made more seizures of lifestyle and party drugs. Based on international prices for these drugs, police said the haul was valued at Rs4.84bn.