Bengaluru: The officials of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) started their probe into the alleged doping scandal in the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) on Thursday and questioned several officials of the BTC in this connection.
A month ago, H.S. Chandregowda, a horse owner and also a member of the Managing Committee of Karnataka Race Horse Owners’ Association, had filed a complaint with the High Grounds police, alleging that three-year-old filly, Queen Latifa, was administered drugs, but five people, including the CEO of the club, failed to initiate action after receiving a report from the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL). Queen Latifa had won the Karnataka Race Horse Owners Association Million Cup in The Invitation Cup held in March.
The case was referred to CID for further investigation, as the cheating involved crores of rupees in form of betting. A team of CID officials, led by DIG M.N. Nagaraj, went to the BTC on Thursday morning and questioned the Chairman Y. Jagannath, CEO S. Nirmal Prasad, Chief Stipendiary Officer (CSO) Pradyumna Singh and veterinary doctor Mahesh.
“The officials said that they had sent the urine samples of the filly to QuantiLab in Mauritius and the reports clearly mentioned that the samples did not have any drug substance beyond permissible limits. They also made statements that the episode was the result of some vested interests in the club.
We have got copies of the laboratory reports, the list of medicines that the filly was administered and have also seized a hard disk that had video of the said race,” an official said. “We will continue the probe and question all those related to the issue in the coming days. We will also consult experts before coming into any conclusion,” the official added.
