Noose tightens around Vijender

Chandigarh (Agencies): In a damning setback to Olympic medallist Vijender Singh, police investigating the alleged drug episode confirmed on Sunday that he had consumed cocaine 12 times while his sparring partner Ram Singh had done so on five occasions. The star boxer 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. Deputy Inspector General (Ludhiana range) M F 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 the Punjab Police at Panchkula in Haryana had refused to share his blood and hair samples. He had denied any involvement in the drug racket.A 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 3, had conversed with each other for "about 80 times" on their respective cell phones, police sources said 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.A The sources said Vijender and Ram Singh were "well known" to Kahlon. Vijender, a Deputy Superintendent of Police with Haryana Police, was in touch with Kahlon since August last year. The sources said that during interrogation, Ram Singh had claimed that he used to often talk to Kahlon on Vijender's phone. Kahlon had divulged during his interrogation that he used to speak to Ram Singh, who has since been dismissed as constable from Punjab Police.