Two-time Indian Olympic medallist arrested over death of fellow athlete after manhunt

Two-time Olympic wrestling medallist Sushil Kumar was arrested on Sunday, Indian police said, after a week-long manhunt over the alleged murder of a fellow athlete.

Sushil Kumar went into hiding after 24-year-old Sagar Dhankad was badly beaten during a brawl between two groups of wrestlers at a stadium in the capital New Delhi on May 4. Dhankad, a former junior champion who was training as a senior wrestler, later died in hospital.

A television journalist tries to get a reaction from Sushil Kumar after being arrested by police in New Delhi. AP

Kumar was arrested early on Sunday in northwest Delhi with another suspect, Delhi police said. "They were switching their location when they were arrested," the police officer said.

Police had offered a reward of Rs100,000 ($1,370) for information leading to the arrest of the 37-year-old star after two of Dhankad's associates injured in the fight named Kumar as one of the attackers. But Kumar, via his lawyers, had said he was innocent and accused police of a biased investigation.

Kumar is viewed as one of India's finest sportsmen and the only to win two individual Olympic medals — a freestyle wrestling silver at the 2012 London Games and a bronze at the Beijing Olympics four years earlier.

He represented India in international competitions and won three Commonwealth Games golds and one gold at the World Wrestling Championships in Moscow in 2010. He was awarded India's highest honour for athletes in 2009.

Agence France-Presse