/ 21 May 2012

SA’s Wayne Parnell released after IPL party raid

Pune Warriors cricketers greet teammate Wayne Parnell.
Pune Warriors cricketers greet teammate Wayne Parnell.

Rahul Sharma and Wayne Parnell of South Africa, who play for the Pune Warriors, were freed on Monday after they were detained on Sunday night on suspicion of consuming banned drugs at the party.

A number of celebrity children, people connected with Bollywood as well as some foreign nationals, who were at the party, underwent medical tests to confirm whether they had consumed the drugs.

“In all, 58 men and 32 women were held,” senior police official Vishwas Nangare Patil told reporters.

“Blood and urine samples of these people are being tested and if they are found positive for drug consumption, an investigation will be started against them,” he said.

Patil said police seized 110g of cocaine and drugs including ecstasy and arrested the organiser of the party for violating drug laws.

Sharma’s relatives denied the charges and told the NDTV news channel that he was attending a “birthday party” at the hotel.

The hugely popular IPL, which is in its fifth year, has been mired in a number of controversies in recent days.

Last week, Australian cricketer Luke Pomersbach was charged with molesting a woman and assaulting her fiancé in a hotel in New Delhi.

Earlier last week, five IPL players were suspended following corruption allegations against them.

Also last week, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan was banned from entering Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium for five years after being involved in a scuffle with security guards at the ground. – Sapa-dpa