Vijender and I mistook drugs for food supplement: Boxer Ram Singh tells police

March 10, 2013

Vijender_and_Boxer_Ram_SinghNew Delhi, Mar 10: Hours after confessing to have met drug dealer Anoop Singh Kahlon and purchasing heroin from him, boxer Ram Singh has now admitted that he and star boxer Vijender Singh took drugs thinking it was food supplement.

According to sources, during questioning, Ram Singh told Punjab police officials that he and Vijender mistook drugs for food supplement.

The police is yet to question Olympic medallist Vijender Singh in the case.

Ram Singh told the police that he and Vijender Singh bought heroin from drug dealer Anoop Singh Kahlon. Ram Singh said he and Vijender Singh are not habitual users.

Ram Singh said he and Vijender had met drug dealer Anoop Singh Kahlon 3-4 times since December.

Olympic medallist Vijender Singh got a nasty punch on Friday after being linked to a Rs 130 crore heroin haul and cops said the suspects included his friend and sparring partner, national level boxer Ram Singh, who was detained and interrogated by Punjab police.

The Beijing bronze medal-winning boxer immediately denied any links with suspected druglord Anoop Singh Kahlon, accused of stashing 26kg of heroin in an apartment in Zirakpur, on the outskirts of Chandigarh. Cops raided the apartment after getting information from Kahlon, who was arrested on March 3. He told cops that he knew the champion and Ram Singh.

Singh was detained and questioned by the police on Friday after it was found he drove Vijender's Ford Endeavour to Kahlon's Zirakpur apartment, where the keys to the boxer's SUV were found. The Endeavour is registered in Vijender's wife's name.

In all, 26kg of heroin was recovered in two consignments, including 16 kg in the flat belonging to the Canadian NRI and drug kingpin Kahlon late on Thursday. Another 10kg of drugs was found in a Hyundai Accent, belonging to Kahlon, parked outside the flat. Kahlon and his accomplice Rocky were arrested by the police from neighbouring Fatehgarh Sahib district on March 3 on drug trafficking charges.

"We've not yet established the role of either Vijender or Ram Singh," said senior superintendent of police Hardyal Singh in Fatehgarh. "But we can confirm that both Vijender and Ram knew Kahlon and his accomplice, Rocky. We have evidence of this, but we cannot disclose this now," he added.

Ludhiana DIG MH Farooqui told reporters, "Many sportspersons have figured in drug rackets in the past. In this racket, too, some sportspersons are involved. Even Kahlon is a former shot putter."

Vijender, a DSP rank officer with Haryana police, denied links with Kahlon. "I do not know the person in question and I am not involved with him in anyway. I may have met him but don't know him personally or directly."

The 27-year-old middleweight boxer said he had lent his SUV to Ram Singh, who shares his room at the National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Patiala. Ram Singh is a Punjab police head constable.

"My name is unnecessarily being dragged in this drug smuggling scandal," Vijender said. "TV channels are talking about the car link but nothing was recovered from it. I was in Mumbai for two days when the raid took place and my wife Archana had dropped me at the Chandigarh airport on Tuesday. The car is registered in her name and sometimes my friends in boxing circles use it when I am away," Vijender told TOI on Friday.

Asked why his SUV was parked outside the flat in Zirakpur, Vijender said, "Ram Singh is a good friend and helps me in training. He took the keys in my absence. I tried calling him after learning about all this but his phone was switched off. I meet a lot of people who can claim to know me. I have never done anything wrong. I am ready for an investigation. I am sure the truth will come out," he said.

Four people including Kahlon have been arrested so far. SSP Hardyal did not confirm if there was recovery of drug from Vijender's SUV.

However, in separate recoveries, SSP Hardyal said cash worth Rs 1 crore, Rs 8.7 lakh, and drugs used in rave parties were recovered. "These are separate recoveries. The fresh drugs are those used by celebrities in parties," he said.

When Vijender, who gave India its first Olympic medal in boxing in 2008, was asked if all this would affect his training, he said, "There will be slight distraction but then such is life, there are ups and downs."

Late on Friday, fresh drug recoveries and two more arrests took place: Two Mohali-based men, Manpreet Singh and Gabbar Singh, were arrested with Rs 1 crore cash and 20 kg of chemicals and 2 kg heroin on them. These raids follow Kahlon's questioning.

The police said Jagdish Bhola, a former Punjab Police cop and a wrestler, is the kingpin of the entire racket. There is a Delhi connection as well, as many of the drugs in fresh recoveries were meant for rave parties.

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News Network
January 13,2020

Mumbai, Jan 13: India captain Virat Kohli indicated at dropping himself down the batting order to accommodate both Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul in the playing XI against Australia in the first ODI of the three-match series starting Tuesday.

With vice-captain Rohit Sharma an automatic pick, the team management is left with tough choice of selecting either Dhawan or Rahul in the XI. But the skipper sees no reason why both can't play together.

"Look, a guy in form is always good for the team. ...You obviously want to have the best players available and then chose from what the combination should be for the team. There might be a possibility that all three (Rohit, Shikhar and Rahul) might play. It will be interesting to see what balance we want to take in on the field," Kohli said on the eve of the match.

Asked if he would he be happy to bat lower down the order, Virat said,"Yeah, big possibility. I would be very happy to do so. Look I am not possessive about where I play. I am not insecure about where I bat," said the skipper.

For Kohli, it is more important as to what kind of leadership legacy he leaves behind rather than chase personal glory.

"Being the captain of the team, it is my job to make sure that the next lot is also ready. A lot of the other people might not look at it that way, but your job as a captain is not only to look after the team right now, but also to prepare a team that you leave behind when you eventually pass it onto someone else," he added.

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News Network
June 3,2020

Colorado, Jun 3: Formula One boss Chase Carey has said that races will go ahead even if a driver tests positive for coronavirus.

His remarks come as organisers revealed a revised 2020 calendar and the schedule for the first eight races was put in the public domain.

"An individual having been found with a positive infection will not lead to a cancellation of a race. We encourage teams to have procedures in place so if an individual has to be put in quarantine, we have the ability to quarantine them at a hotel and to replace that individual," the official website of Formula One quoted Carey as saying.

"Some things we'd have to talk through and work through. The array of 'what ifs' are too wide to play out every one of them, but a team not being able to race would not cancel the race. I do not think I could sit here and lay out the consequences," he said.

Carey added the organisers will be having the necessary procedures in place so that the race does not get cancelled if a driver ends up testing positive for coronavirus.

"But we will have a procedure in place that finding infection will not lead to a cancellation. If a driver has an infection, teams have reserve drivers available," Carey said.

"We would not be going forward if we were not highly confident we have necessary procedures and expertise and capabilities to provide a safe environment and manage whatever issues arrive," he added.

The Formula One 2020 season will be beginning with the Austrian Grand Prix in July.

F1 currently expects the opening races to be closed events but hopes that fans will be able to attend again when it is safe to do so.

The season will kick off with the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on July 5, followed a week later by a second race on the same track.

The Hungarian Grand Prix will follow a week after that, before a break. There will be then two back to back races at Silverstone, followed by the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.

The Belgian Grand Prix will follow that, with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza a week later on September 6.

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News Network
January 15,2020

Dubai, Jan 15: India skipper and batting mainstay Virat Kohli was on Wednesday named captain of the International Cricket Council's ODI and Test teams of the year, capping off a memorable season for the world No.1.

Apart from Kohli, there were four other Indians who were picked in the ICC's Test and ODI Teams of the Year.

While the Test team featured double-centurion Mayank Agarwal, opener Rohit Sharma, speedster Mohammed Shami and left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav found a place in the ODI side.

Kohli enjoyed a tremendous run in both the formats in 2019. The 31-year-old hit his seventh Test double hundred on the way to a career-best unbeaten 254 against South Africa in October last year.

It was a breakthrough year for opener Agarwal, who smashed two double tons, one century and went beyond the fifty-run mark twice. He hit a career-best score of 243 against Bangladesh in November.

Kuldeep, too, enjoyed a memorable year as he joined the golden list of bowlers with two hat-tricks. The chinaman claimed his second ODI hat-trick of his career against the West Indies last month.

In the absence of Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, Shami rose to the occasion making the best in the business hop, skip and jump with his pace, swing and bounce through the season. He scalped 42 wickets in 21 ODIs over the last 12 months.

The ICC's Teams of the Year 2019:

ODI Team of the Year (in batting order): Rohit Sharma, Shai Hope, Virat Kohli (captain), Babar Azam, Kane Williamson, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Mitchell Starc, Trent Boult, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav

Test Team of the Year (in batting order): Mayank Agarwal, Tom Latham, Marnus Labuschagne, Virat Kohli (captain), Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, BJ Watling (wicketkeeper), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Neil Wagner, Nathan Lyon.

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