Police: Boxer Vijender spoke to drug dealer '80 times'

Chandigarh, April 1: Olympic medallist

had spoken to alleged narcotics dealer Anoop Singh Kahlon on phone about 80 times and they knew each other well, according to his call records scanned by Punjab Police which appeared to have tightened its noose around the star boxer in the heroin-haul case.

DIG (Ludhiana range) MF Farooqui on Sunday said police have decided to file a plea in court seeking direction to get Vijender's blood and hair samples to confirm whether he used to consume the drug as claimed by his sparring partner Ram Singh during interrogation.

Vijender during his quizzing by Punjab Police at Panchkula in Haryana had refused to give his blood and hair samples to cops. He had denied any involvement in the drug racket.

However, the DIG added that police have got "nothing from the possession of Vijender" and the probe was still on.

In recent months, Vijender and Kahlon alias Ruby, the alleged Canada-based NRI drug dealer who was arrested by police on March three and 26 kg of heroin worth Rs 130 crore seized, had conversed with each other for "about 80 times" on their respective cell phones, police sources said here on Sunday.

Besides, both Vijender and Kahlon had exchanged some ten SMSes on their cell phones, they added. The duration of each call was between two to three minutes, the sources said.

The sources said Vijender and Ram Singh were "well known" to Kahlon. Vijender, a DSP with Haryana police, was in touch with Kahlon since August 2012.

The sources said that during interrogation, Ram Singh had claimed that he used to often talk to Kahlon on Vijender's phone.

Kahlon too had divulged during his interrogation that he used to speak to Ram Singh, who was dismissed as constable from Punjab Police recently after he admitted that he had consumed heroin for "fun" on a few occasions along with Vijender, who shot into limelight after winning bronze medal in the middleweight category at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Vijender's name had cropped up in the drug haul case after the SUV of his wife was found outside Kahlon's residence in Shivalik Vihar in Zirakpur when the contraband was recovered by Fatehgarh Sahib police on March seven.

The police in confabulations with legal experts have finalized their petition to move court seeking Vijender's blood and hair samples, the sources said.

Sub-inspector Sarabjit Singh, who was close to a retired senior superintendent of police, was also dismissed by the Punjab Police in connection with the drug haul case.

Meanwhile, police have intensified searches to nab alleged drug racket kingpin Jagdish Bhola, a dismissed Punjab Police DSP.

Bhola, who was absconding since March 7, had gone to Sarabjit's house on March 11 from where he made telephone calls to his associates using a mobile phone registered in the name of Sarabjit's wife Reet Sidhu.

Police claimed Sarabjit is an active member of the gang of smugglers headed by Kahlon and Bhola.

They alleged that Sarabjit aided Bhola in fleeing and arranged hideouts for him.

Police have arrested around 15 persons in the case so far. Besides Kahlon, six others including his driver Kulwinder Singh alias Rockey, Kuldip Singh (father of Rockey), Sandeep Singh (brother-in-law of Rockey), Gabbar Singh, Manpreet Singh Gill alias Mani and a Ludhiana-based Pharma company employee Sunil Katyal have been arrested.

PTI