Beijing Olympic boxing bronze medallist Vijender Singh on Monday refused to give samples of his blood and hair required for forensic testing by the Punjab Police team that put him to a sustained session of questioning, for over two hours, for his role in the recent haul of 26 kg of heroin worth Rs. 130 crore.
Vijender was grilled in a case in which at least 7 persons, including an NRI, were arrested and his sparring partner Ram Singh was expelled from the ongoing camp at the NIS, Patiala. The questioning session continued late into the evening.
A Punjab police team, comprising a Deputy Superintendent of Police and an Inspector, sought the ace pugilist’s responses to questions related to the recovery of his wife’s car from near the house of the arrested NRI, Anoop Singh Kahlon, in Zirakpur town of Mohali. The team also questioned Vijender about the statements of Ram Singh that the duo had met the drug peddler and consumed the contraband on a few occasions.
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Ram Singh, who was never arrested in the case, has given conflicting statements to the media that he along with Vijender had experimented with drugs and subsequently changed his statement saying they mistook the substance for a health supplement.
An official release by the Punjab police said that Vijender was questioned in the office of Haryana’s Senior Superintendent of Police (Crime and Telecommunication), Hardeep Singh Doon, in the presence of two private witnesses.
Incidentally, Vijender is also posted as a Deputy Superintendent of Police with the Haryana Police.
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One more person held
Meanwhile, the police have arrested another person, Sunil Katyal, from Ludhiana, who, the Fatehgarh Sahib police claim, had been testing samples of the drug consignments and arranging chemicals required for the illicit trade. The police have also sought the custody of another person, Paramjit Singh, who is lodged in the Tihar jail in a case of Hawala transaction.