The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Discus throw medallist held in meow meow bust
THREE ARRESTED FOR TRANSPORTING DRUGS
AN INTERNATIONAL-LEVEL discus player, who won a medal for India in the 2006 SAF Games held in Colombo, was among three persons arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell from New Delhi railway station on charges of peddling methedrone drug, also known as ‘meow meow’.
Police said the three have been identified as Harpreet Singh, 30, Amandeep Singh, 29, and Hanish Sarpal, 36. They were allegedly involved in an international drug racket and were supplying drugs from Mumbai to Delhi and Punjab. Police added that 25 kg drugs, worth about Rs 50 crore in the international market, have been recovered following the arrest on February 15.
Harpreet, a resident of west Delhi, was a national school champion in discus throw for two years. He was the All India Inter University Champion from 2006 to 2008, police sources said. He won silver in the Youth Commonwealth Games in Australia in 2004 and went on to win bronze at the SAF Games in 2006. But, he soon fell off the map, failing a dope test in 2012, after which sanctions were imposed against him.
He, along with Amandeep, had brought the consignments — originally from east Africa — from Mumbai to Delhi. Police sources said the two were working on Hanish’s instructions and received Rs 2.5 lakh each. In 2005, Hanish went to London on a student visa, but after a few months he quit studies and took up parttime jobs. During this time, he met Kishan, who worked with a courier company and was involved in drug trafficking.
Hanish and Amandeep returned to India in 2012, after which the latter lured Harpreet, who lived in the same locality, to join the racket. Police sources claimed Amandeep and Harpreet have delivered six consignments from Mumbai to Delhi and Punjab on Hanish’s instructions.
Sources said about 50 kg drugs had come from east Africa, half of which has been distributed to Mumbai and Goa.
Police have identified two kingpins of this racket — Kishan and Kailash Chand Rajput of Rajasthan — based in London and Dubai, respectively.