Rohtak, June 13: The Rohtak Police have arrested a national gold medallist wrestler, Rakesh Mokhriya, on charges of murder. As per the police, Mokhriya is the prime accused in the murder of Balbir Singh, a resident of Asan village in June last year following a dispute over the contract of liquor vends. The national wrestler who later turned into a gangster, carried a reward of Rs 25,000 for providing information of his whereabouts. He belongs to Mokhra village.

According to a report published in Hindustan Times, the police got information of Mokhriya from another accused in the murder case who was arrested two days ago. During interrogation, Mokhriya told police that after committing the murder last year, he was hiding in Rajasthan and was waiting for the release of his gang leader Rohtash Kumar from jail. He had a plan to start criminal activities once again.

Rohtak superintendent of police (SP) Jashandeep Singh Randhawa told Hindustan Times that they received a tip-off about Rakesh following which the anti-vehicle theft (AVT) staff held him near Jhajjar bypass on Monday night. A 30 bore pistol was also seized from him.

Mokhriya represented Haryana in national wrestling tournaments. He had won a gold medal in a national championship in 2003. In the same year, he had also won a bronze medal in the national games held at Talkatora Stadium in Delhi. According to the police, in 2005, he indulged in criminal activities by murdering a Jhajjar resident over a rivalry. He served six years of imprisonment for that murder, but after coming out of jail, he continued his criminal activities.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 13, 2018 02:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).