Vijender took heroin 12 times: Police

In fresh trouble for international boxer and Olympic medallist Vijender Singh, Punjab Police today said he had consumed heroin 12 times after procuring it from alleged drug smugglers, including NRI Anoop Singh Kahlon.

"According to investigation conducted so far, Ram Singh (his sparring partner) five times," a Punjab Police statement said. Kahlon alias Ruby, the alleged Canada-based drug dealer, was arrested by police on March 3 and 26 kg of heroin worth Rs 130 crore seized from his residence in Zirakpur on the outskirts of Chandigarh.

The Punjab police spokesperson said, "it has been established that Boxers Ram Singh and Vijender Singh took heroin from Kahlon and his aide Rocky for personal consumption between December 2012 and February 2013." While Ram Singh alone procured heroin in December 2012, subsequently both the boxers went together to Zirakpur for procuring the drug once in January and two times in February this year, the police said. Vijender, who has denied any involvement in the drugs racket, was not immediately available for comments. The police statement further said, "However, they (Vijender and Ram Singh) did not actively connive with the smugglers in their activities and nothing was recovered from them - as such both of them are not being arrested in the case at this stage."

The police said it was initiating steps to take the hair sample of Vijender for being tested by the Forensic Science Laboratory. Vijender has so far refused to give his blood and hair samples for the purpose.