‘King Kong’: Intriguing tale of wrestler-turned-drug lord
Chandigarh, July 30
Jagdish Bhola, who was convicted in a money laundering and drug trafficking case by a Mohali court on Tuesday, was once hailed as the “King Kong” of Indian wrestling. He etched his name into the annals of Indian sports history when he won the silver medal in the 1991 Asian Wrestling Championship. He made his village Chauke in Bathinda district proud.
His prowess on the mat earned him the prestigious Arjuna Award, an honour bestowed upon exceptional athletes in India. He also featured in a movie Rustam-e-Hind. A grateful Punjab Government appointed him the DSP. In the records of the same government, Bhola now figures among the top smugglers in the country.
He was first caught by the Mumbai police in 2008 with 25 kg ICE drug. The Union Government withdrew the Arjuna Award bestowed on him, while the Punjab Government suspended him from the service.
In 2013, shortly after his release from a Mumbai jail, the Punjab Police unravelled a web of intrigue surrounding Bhola. No longer a celebrated wrestler, he had metamorphosed into a drug lord and a landlord as well. He owned 35 acres, several bungalows and luxury cars and moved with armed private guards.
Bhola emerged as the leader and kingpin of a huge network of drug smugglers. Their nefarious activities crossed state borders, with a focus on diverting precursor chemicals meant for medicinal purposes to illegal factories in Himachal Pradesh.
Bhola was said to be connected with a number of sportspersons and politicians. In 2014, in an intriguing interview outside a court where he was taken for trial, Bhola named an Akali minister as the main kingpin. — TNS
