Kabaddi player Sandeep Nangal was shot dead on Monday in Jalandhar, Punjab. When the match was being played in the Kabaddi tournament, at that time suddenly indiscriminate firing started. It is learned that about 20 rounds were fired on his head and chest.
In this case, names of famous gangsters from Punjab were associated but they denied taking responsibility for this murder. Instead of living an inspirational life, some sportsmen fall from grace after being involved in criminal activities. Sushil Kumar, Lawrence Bishnoi, Deepak Pahal, Prema Lahoria, Shera Khuban and Jaswinder Rocky are some of the prominent names who had stepped into the murky world of crime.
Why did Punjab, Haryana’s sportsmen step into the dark world of crime?
One of the most prominent reasons is money. Other sports, like wrestling, Kabaddi, boxing are not as famous as Cricket in India. The players do not get that much money in these sports. Some even find it difficult to run their households. Government, at some level, fails to provide them with proper training facilities too.
Moreover, the players do not get as much recognition as the Cricket players in India. They fail to get the desired fame in their respective fields.
Here are the names of some players who are involved in Criminal activities:
1. Sushil Kumar: He is a former Indian wrestler. Delhi Police arrested Sushil Kumar in connection with the murder of former junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankhar during a brawl in the Chhatrasal Stadium on 4 May 2021. The police had said that the murder was a “conspiracy” by Kumar because of an alleged property issue with Dhankar.
2. Deepak Pahal: When the Boxing Federation of India was banned in 2012, many players deviated from their goals and Deepak was also one of them. Soon Deepak Pahal met the infamous gangster Jitendra Mann alias Gogi. Deepak liked Gogi's company and started working in his gang. Deepak came into the limelight when a case of murder of four people was registered against him.
3. Tirath Dhilwan: Tirath Dhilwan, who now runs the Shera Khuban gang, was known in Malwa as a kabaddi player. Among the state’s top five gangsters, Tirath worked closely with Jaipal, Vicky Gounder and Prem Lahoria. He was declared a proclaimed offender on February 26, 2013.
4. Jai Bhagwan: He is a two-time Asian Championships medallist and a bronze winner at the 2010 Commonwealth Games who also represented India in Boxing in the lightweight (60 kg) division at the 2012 London Olympics. When Jai Bhagwan was posted in Adampur, he was accused by an agent of taking a Rs 1 lakh bribe.