Maninder Singh, who was caught with cocaine, has told police that he was going through a "rough patch" in his personal life and resorted to drugs to destress himself.
NEW DELHI: Former cricketer Maninder Singh, who was caught with cocaine, has told police that he was going through a "rough patch" in his personal life and resorted to drugs to destress himself.
Police claimed that the 41-year-old cricketer-turned-commentator was a "regular cocaine user" and was planning a getaway in Mumbai, where he was to stay at the Wankhade stadium, to unwind.
Singh has also told police that he had consumed cocaine, a high-end drug with a street value of Rs 3,500 a gram, a few times earlier at a farm house near Mahipalpur on the Delhi-Gurgaon road, sources said.
Police said that it had prior information that Singh had asked Saim Siddiqui, a drug peddler who was arrested with him yesterday by Narcotics Branch sleuths, to arrange the "stuff" for him for his Mumbai escapade.
Singh was caught by the police near his Gagan Apartments flat in Defence Enclave Park in Preet Vihar area of East Delhi when he was about to leave for the airport.
While 1.5 grams of cocaine was seized from him, 100 grams of charas was found from Saim. A case under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotrophic Substances Act was registered against them.
Sources said while Singh, a left arm spinner who played for India in the 1980s before retiring in 1993, was booked for consuming drugs Saim was charged with drug peddling.
Singh has played in 35 Tests getting 88 wickets and 59 ODIS taking 66 scalps in the 1980s.
Saim has also played league matches in Delhi's cricket circuit and is a coach for junior boys at the prestigious National Sports Club of India. He is a resident of Vivek Vihar in East Delhi.
"He is the man friday of Maninder and takes care of all his odd jobs. He also used to procure drugs for the former cricketer," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Narcotics Branch) A S Cheema said.
Police have booked Maninder under Sections 21 and 29 of the NDPS Act which pertains to possession of drugs for the purpose of consumption while drug peddling charges have been slapped against Saim.
Cheema said it has come to light that Saim had contacted his sources in Mumbai to make cocaine available for Maninder during his stay there.
"We are questioning him to identify the sources and taking the help of the Mumbai police to nab those persons," he added.
"We would linke to know the source of supply of the contraband, distribution pattern and whether he had supplied only to Maninder or to any other person known to him," Cheema said.
Saim has links in Mumbai as his name cropped up after the arrest of a drug peddler identified as Mohammed Aslam in a North-West Delhi area with 13 grams of cocaine in March.
On interrogation, Aslam had told police that he got the drugs from one Mohammad Naved, a resident of Mumbai and brother of notorious drug smuggler Guddu, and had named Saim as one of his clients.
Police said Maninder took to drugs nearly two years ago due to family problems but made it clear that he was into personal consumption and not peddling.
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