New Delhi, Feb. 17: Discus thrower Harpreet Singh, a silver medallist in the 2004 Australia Commonwealth Youth Games, and two of his accomplices have been arrested after police seized 25 kg of party drugs worth Rs 50 crore from them, officials said on Friday.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav told IANS that the popular contraband drug Mephedrone, also called ‘Meow-Meow’, was meant to be sold at rave parties in Mumbai and Delhi
Those arrested are: Amandeep Singh, 29, and Harnish Sarpal, 36, and Harpreet Singh, 30 -- all residents of Delhi.
Harpreet Singh is a renowned athlete who also also won bronze medal in SAF games in 2006 held in Colombo. He couldn’t participate in the 2010 Commonwealth Games due to an injury. He also also taken part in some national-level athletic championships. He quit his sports career in 2006 after he tested positive in a dope test.
DCP Yadav said a team of the special cell had received a tip off on February 11 about Amandeep Singh and his associates were flying to Mumbai to get the drug consignment.They were to return to Delhi on February 14.
“The police teams apprehended Amandeep Singh and other gang members on Wednesday morning from New Delhi Railway Station. They were travelling in a Dadar-Amritsar train to reach Delhi. Over 25 kg of the contraband drug was recovered from them,” Yadav said.
Amandeep Singh had done a diploma in Hospitality and Tourism from London and stayed there for two years. He later came in contact with one Kishan, the alleged kingpin of the gang, in London. Kishan, police said, is a native of Rajasthan.
“Harnish earlier went to London on student visa and took admission for an MBA. He met Kishan while working in London,” Yadav said.
“Harnish and Amandeep who could not get permanent jobs were influenced by the lifestyle of Kishan -- living a lavish life. They joined him in his drug peddling business to get easy money. Kishan wanted to extend his syndicate across the international borders,” the police officer said.
In the meantime, Harpreet Singh was surprised to see the sudden change in the lifestyle of Amandeep Singh and also joined his gang.
Thier associates, Kailash Rajput and Kishan are presently residing in Dubai and the UK. The police are looking for other gang members in Mumbai and Delhi.
Yadav said Meo-Meow is used in rave parties in Mumbai, Delhi and, other metropolitan cities of India. The drug comes usually from African sub-continent and is also supplied to the UAE, the UK and the US.
