Anoop Singh Kahlon, the NRI arrested in the drug peddling case, on Saturday attempted suicide.
He slit his wrists in the lock-up of the Sirhind police station in Fatehgarh Sahib district in Punjab.
The case grabbed headlines after the name of Olympic medal winning boxer Vijender Singh cropped up during the police probe.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Hardyal Singh Mann told reporters at Fatehgarh Sahib that Kahlon had ruptured the blood vessels of his wrists using a sharp object when he went for a bath.
He was shifted to a local hospital where medical attention was prompt. He would now be booked for attempting suicide.
Though the initial probe suggested that the arrested had used a wire wound to the bucket in the bathroom, the police were looking for clues if a blade or any other sharp-edged object was smuggled in. Kahlon was among the six arrested on Thursday by the Punjab police in connection with drug peddling and hawala deals.
During interrogation, Kahlon is reported to have claimed that Vijender and his boxer-friend Ram Singh were among his “clients.”
The Fatehgarh Sahib police, which claimed to have busted the international smuggling network, had recovered at least 26 kg of heroin and cash from Kahlon’s possession and from his apartment in Zirakpur and a car owned by his associate. A car registered in the name of Vijender’s wife was found parked near the NRI’s apartment.
The case took an interesting turn when reports said Ram Singh, an officer in the Punjab police, confessed that along with Vijender he had purchased heroin from Kahlon on six occasions since December last.
Earlier, appearing on various television channels, Vijender denied having any links with the network and expressed his surprise about the recovery of the car from near the NRI’s house.
