7 unvaccinated India U-19 players were denied entry into Caribbean and told to "go back" during WC
New Delhi, Feb 22: The COVID-19 outbreak in its camp was not the only off-field challenge the Indian team overcame on its way to the U-19 World Cup triumph.
India's problems began on arrival in the Caribbean islands, with as many as seven unvaccinated members of the side detained at the airport for more than 24 hours, requiring the government to step in and resolve the issue.
This was after a long flight from Dubai to Port-of-Spain via Amsterdam.
Left-arm pacer Ravi Kumar, who played a huge role in the team's unprecedented fifth World Cup triumph, and opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi were among the players who were told to "go back to India" as they were not jabbed.
Team manager Lobzang G. Tenzing, who came to their rescue with the help of the ICC and colleagues in the BCCI, narrated the "harrowing experience" of the players. The India and Trinidad government, too, had to step in to resolve the situation.
"After we landed at Port-of-Spain, we had to take a charter flight to Guyana but seven of our boys were stopped as they were not vaccinated. We tried to explain to the immigration officials that India had not started their vaccination yet but they instructed us to take the next flight out of the country," Tenzing, who heads the Sikkim Cricket Association, told PTI.
"We were surrounded by security guys of the airlines as if we would run away from there. And as the argument was on with airline and immigration officials, the only Lufthansa flight available had departed and the next one was after three days. That gave us time to negotiate with local authorities.
"I decided to stay with the boys and we had to stay in a shady hotel near the airport for the night. It was only after the intervention of ICC and local government the matter could be resolved. It was quite a harrowing experience for the boys," he recalled.
This happened in the first week of January when India started the vaccination drive for the 15-18 age group.
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Rajasthan man in search of his SUV assaulted, robbed in Bengaluru; one held
Bengaluru (PTI): A 32-year-old man from Rajasthan who travelled to Bengaluru to retrieve his missing SUV was allegedly assaulted and robbed, police said on Thursday.
The victim, Chandra Prakash, a resident of Jodhpur, had lent his SUV to his friend Mahendra Gujjar over a year ago on the assurance that it would be returned within a few weeks, they said.
When the vehicle was not returned, he lodged a complaint with the local police in Jodhpur last year, but no progress was made.
According to police, Prakash then allegedly used a mobile application to track his vehicle’s location and found that it was being driven in Bengaluru. On February 23, he reached the city with a spare key, located the SUV parked by the roadside in east Bengaluru and drove it away after unlocking it.
Around 11.10 pm, as he neared Bommanahalli Circle, three men on a two-wheeler intercepted him. When he questioned them, an argument ensued and the trio allegedly assaulted him with an iron rod and a helmet, a senior police officer said.
The accused allegedly robbed him of two mobile phones and fled with the SUV. Prakash sustained injuries and was shifted to a hospital for treatment, he said.
Based on his complaint, Mangilal Choudary (40), a businessman from Rajasthan, was arrested in connection with the incident, police said, adding that efforts are being made to nab the other two suspects.
During interrogation, Choudary told police he had extended a friendly loan to an acquaintance who defaulted and that the SUV was given as security, police said.
Gujjar had allegedly borrowed money from acquaintances and passed the vehicle to a friend of Choudary, who later returned it to him. The SUV and the two mobile phones have been recovered, they added.
