World Olympic Boxing Qualifiers: Pakistani Boxer Disappears In Italy; Accused Of Stealing Money From Teammate's Bag

A Pakistani boxer, Zohaib Rasheed, has been accused of fleeing the nation's squad in Italy after stealing money from a teammate at the ongoing World Olympic Boxing Qualifiers.

The Pakistan Amateur Boxing Federation made the news public on Tuesday (March 5), adding that the incident has been brought to the notice of the Pakistan Embassy in Italy and a police report is also filed on it.

"It is most embarrassing for the federation and country the way Zohaib Rasheed has behaved as he had gone there as part of a five-member squad to take part in an Olympic qualifying tournament," said Colonel Nasir Ahmed, the national federation's secretary.

Zohaib Rasheed is regarded as a rising talent in Pakistan especially after his bronze medal at the Asian Boxing Championships. Nasir said that a female boxer Laura Ikram had gone out for training and Zohaib took her room keys from the front desk and stole her foreign currency from a purse before disappearing from the hotel.

"The police have been informed and they are now searching for him but he is not in contact with anyone," Nasir said.

This is not the first time a Pakistani athlete has gone abroad with a national squad and slipped away in hope of a better future.

Young Pakistani Female Judoka Dies

The news comes on a day when tragedy struck Pakistan sport as a young female judoka has died in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after suffering head injuries during a competition bout.

Fiza Sher Ali, a talented 20-year old student couldn't recover from the head injuries she sustained while competing in the 44kg category fight during a Youth Talent Hunt program in Mardan.

"She was a first year BS student in Peshawar and had come to Mardan for the trials and was new to the sport," an official of the Pakistan Judo Federation said.

He said Fiza fell instantly during her match and didn't recover.

"She was given medical treatment at the venue and rushed to the hospital but didn't survive," the official added.

Few days ago, a 16-year old female tennis player from Karachi died in Islamabad from a suspected cardiac condition after taking part in an ITF junior tournament match.

-With inputs from PTI