Former national wrestler arrested in Delhi after three-year manhunt over opium case
A 31-year-old ex-national wrestler, declared a proclaimed offender in an opium-smuggling investigation, was captured by Delhi Police near Madhuban Chowk Metro Station and handed to Jharkhand authorities.
Delhi Police arrested Amit Sheoran, a 31-year-old former national-level wrestler, after a three-year evasion following his proclamation as an offender in an alleged opium-smuggling case. The operation took place near Madhuban Chowk Metro Station, and he was subsequently handed over to Jharkhand Police, which had originally filed the NDPS case in Ranchi. Investigators allege Sheoran supplied opium to wrestling training centres, or akhadas, across Haryana and Delhi, and he claimed that many wrestlers consumed the drug to lengthen practice sessions.
The probe also links him to a Jharkhand supplier, Rajesh Nag, arrested in April 2023 with nearly half a kilogram of opium, who identified Sheoran as a primary recipient. Authorities say Sheoran, once a bar bouncer, was drawn into the drug trade by an associate named Ranjeet, and his arrest is portrayed as a significant blow to organized crime in the region.
Why it matters
The arrest highlights potential drug abuse in Indian wrestling circles and a broader crackdown on organized narcotics networks.
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