Delhi Police have launched raids to locate top wrestler and two-time Olympic medalist Sushil Kumar for questioning over his suspected role in the murder of a 23-year-old former junior national champion, who was beaten to death in a clash involving two groups at the Chhatrasal stadium premises in North-West Delhi late Tuesday night.
The Delhi Police team, who are investigating the matter, have so far detained one person in connection with the incident.
“We are probing the role of Sushil Kumar as allegations have been made against him. We sent our team to his house but he was found to be missing. We are looking for him. Several teams have been formed to trace the accused persons,” Additional DCP (north-west) Dr Guriqbal Singh Sidhu said.
The deceased was the son of a Delhi Police Head Constable.
“The deceased was identified as Sagar Kumar, son of a Delhi Police Head Constable, and the injured have been identified as Sonu Mahal (35) and Amit Kumar (27). We have registered an FIR and arrested one Prince Dalal (24), and seized a double-barrel gun from the spot,” Sidhu said. Sagar competed in the 97-kg Greco-Roman category, and was a former junior national champion and part of the senior national camp.
“Sonu Mahal is a close associate of gangster Kala Jathedi and was earlier arrested in a robbery and murder case,” police sources said.
According to Sidhu, a quarrel had allegedly taken place between Sushil Kumar, Ajay, Prince, Sonu, Sagar, Amit and others in the parking area of the stadium.
The report also said that the victims were lodging at a house near the stadium owned by the Olympic medallist and that he had asked Sagar and his friends to vacate the place.
The FIR states that a call was made to the police control room around 2 am from Chhatrasal stadium about a “firing incident”. The caller claimed that he saw two men with pistols firing at others. When police reached the spot, they found five cars in the parking area but nobody inside, said the FIR.
“During inquiry, we found that a PCR vehicle had come here and rushed the injured persons to BJRM hospital…,” the FIR states. While Sagar succumbed to his injuries, Sonu and Amit are undergoing treatment, police said.
According to police, a district crime team found a “loaded double-barrel gun and three cartridges” inside a Scorpio car parked outside the stadium.
“The accused…were huddled in cars and assaulted/attacked each other,” reads the FIR. Police said they have recovered two double barrel guns, seven live cartridges, two wooden sticks and five cars. One Prince Dalal (24), a resident of Jhajjar in Haryana, has been apprehended in this case, along with one double barrel gun, they said.
Meanwhile, the two-time Olympic medallist Sushil, speaking to a news agency, is said to have confirmed that the accused involved in the incident were not known to him.
Sushil is the only Indian athlete to win back-to-back Olympic medals in an individual sport. He won a silver medal in the 2012 London Olympics, and a bronze medal in 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The 37-year-old could not take part in the Rio Olympics after a fallout with the federation over selection issues and has rarely competed since then. He is not in the fray for this year's Tokyo Olympics as well.
