Former Mohun Bagan footballer arrested for smuggling cannabis

Yesterday, the Kolkata Police arrested former West Bengal captain Amzad Ali Khan on allegations of illegal smuggling of cannabis. According to reports, Khan was arrested along with three of his associates named Harpreet Singh, Balbinder Singh and Amit Roy by a Special Task Force working with the Kolkata Police. Reports also suggest that Khan was allegedly transporting 545 kilograms of Cannabis by truck. If the allegations are proved to be true, the punishment could be jail time for many years. Furthermore, it has been known that the former State captain was returning home to Jangipara in Hooghly District when the police searched his truck allegedly found the cannabis. The police, it seems, had been alerted by a tip previously. Jangipara was where the consignment was supposed to arrive, according to a statement the police later gave. The receiver of this consignment has been named by media outlets and this incident is being viewed as a part of a larger drug racket which has reportedly been rife in the city of Kolkata. From 2002-2008, the player in question represented the state at the national level and, during this, also held the position of the captain of the West Bengal team- a role that he grew into. Khan had played for East Bengal in 2002 and then for a few months for Mohun Bagan and then from 2004 to 2007. In addition to this, he was considered a regular at Mohameddan Sporting Club. All three clubs are rich legacies of Kolkata's association with football. A former trainee at Tata Football Academy, he was also a part of the India U-16 team that participated in the Asian Sub-Junior Cup Qualifiers 2000. The incident is extremely disheartening especially keeping in mind that this name is among the stalwarts of Indian football. What the proceedings bring out from the police regarding the incident still remains to be seen.