Former Indian shot put medalist arrested in US for killing wife and mother

Iqbal called the Delaware County 911 centre at around 9.45 a.m. on Sunday and claimed that he had killed his wife and mother.

Hyderabad: Iqbal Singh, a former Asian Championship bronze medalist for India, has been charged with murder in the US after he chillingly admitted to killing his wife and mother, according to media reports.

Iqbal Singh

According to a news channel, Iqbal called the Delaware County 911 centre at around 9.45 a.m. on Sunday and claimed that he had killed his wife and mother. When the police arrived at the caller's address on Rockwood Road in Newtown Township, Pennsylvania, they met Iqbal who had bloodstains on his clothes. He reportedly told the officers that he committed the murders and the bodies were inside the house.

Once inside, the police found the body of an elderly woman in a first-floor bedroom and the body of a second woman in the second-floor bedroom. The police also reportedly said that Iqbal himself was suffering from self-inflicted knife wounds. He was taken to the hospital and on Monday was charged with homicide and other related charges.

Shot Put

One of his contemporaries, stunned by the development, said that he remembers Iqbal as someone who threatened to take the then Amateur Athletics Federation of India to court over his non-selection for the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

"He was a popular athlete of the 1980s. He once threatened to file a case against the national federation for not selecting him for the 1988 Olympics. He said he would hire a top lawyer. We advised him not do so, he then dropped the idea," said the veteran, who did not wish to be named.

In an era dominated by double Asian Games gold-medallist Bahadur Singh and Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal, who held the national record for a long time, Iqbal could not win gold on most occasions but did notch up lesser medals.

"He (Iqbal) was very competitive. I was close to him and he was a gentle and good person. The case is under police investigation in US and so I cannot say anything but from what I know him at that time he does not look like to be a person to commit a murder," Balwinder told PTI from Chandigarh.

Arrested

Balwinder said he lost touch with Iqbal after he shifted base to the US, settling for a life as a taxi driver.

"...you never know what happens in a person's life. The circumstances and future events which happened to us affect our lives and actions. He shifted to USA and we did not speak to each other after that," said Balwinder who won a silver in the same Asian Championships where Iqbal won a bronze.

"He was either second or third in national championships. His personal best was in the 1988 Permit Meet in New Delhi," added the two-time Asian champion shot putter.

Iqbal was second to Bahadur Singh in the 1985 National Inter-State Championships in the then Madras while Balwinder was third.

"I am pained and shocked...He was a bit quiet but a happy and jovial person. I had shared a lot of time with him and clicked lots of photos together during the competition. I cannot imagine what has happened to him," said S D Eashan, who won a shot put bronze in 1990 Asian Games.

A former shot-putter, Singh had won bronze at the 1983 Asian Championships in Kuwait. It was the biggest achievement of his sporting career after which he moved to the US where he reportedly worked as a taxi driver.