Lucknow gold medallist held for robbery

LUCKNOW: When he bagged a gold at the 2007 National Games in Chennai, this 20-year-old Meerut lad hit national headlines. On Saturday, the press flocked him again. This time to click him as a robber arrested for his involvement in three consecutive sensational robberies in Meerut. He is Amit Pawar.
Amit���s tryst with destiny may appear to be a perfect example of the highs and lows one can has.But for Amit: ���It had to happen. I had nothing else to do,��� he said.
Pawar was arrested along with his friends Narendra Sisodiya, a BA second year student at Ambedkar University, Rahul and Kapil Pawar (both pursuing intermediate). Police say the trio had struck thrice within 30 days and robbed almost Rs 1.75 lakh in cash. Since none of them had a criminal record, tracking them remained a wild-goose chase till cops had a specific tip-off from an informer about the movements of gang leader Pradeep Negi (22), who has a murder case pending against him. Once Pradeep was picked-up, the rest came easy.
A student of intermediate, Negi was a sportsman in school and met Amit on the sports ground itself. Sisodiya though pursuing his graduation, had met Pradeep a few times during Army functions as father of both Pradeep and Narendra were in the Army. Rahul and Kapil Pawar were Amit���s childhood friends.
���Actually none of us were sure of what we will do in our life and perhaps it was this disillusionment that landed us here,��� said Amit while talking to investigators.
���Of the Rs 1.75 lakh that the trio had robbed in three separate incidents in Meerut, most was spent on branded clothes, footwear, cell phones and partying,��� said ASP Meerut City Rakesh Jolly who supervised the arrests. ���A total of Rs 47,500 in cash were also recovered from them,��� Jolly said. tnn
For the police, Amit���s arrest was not just one of the many arrests that they had done till date. ���It was an eye-opener of sorts. It is one of those events which make you think deeply and seriously into the ups and downs of life,��� says Jolly adding, ���It took Amit a lifetime to reach the top and win a national gold in 1500 metres track in 2007. But a year later, he has now landed in jail.��� A real food for thought.