A Pakistani boxer, Zohaib Rasheed, has fled from the Olympic qualifiers in Italy after stealing money from another athlete’s bag, according to the Pakistan Amateur Boxing Federation (PABF). Rasheed, who had won a bronze medal at the Asian Boxing Championships last year, was part of a five-member squad that went to Italy to participate in the World Olympic Boxing Qualifiers.
The PABF said that Rasheed took the room keys of a female boxer, Laura Khan, from the front desk of the hotel where they were staying, and stole her foreign currency from her purse while she was out for training. Rasheed then disappeared from the hotel and has not been in contact with anyone since then.
The PABF has informed the Pakistan Embassy in Italy and the local police about the incident and has filed a complaint against Rasheed. The PABF secretary, Colonel Nasir Ahmed, said that Rasheed’s act was “most embarrassing for the federation and country” and that they were trying to locate him.
This is not the first time that a Pakistani athlete has gone abroad with a national squad and slipped away in hope of a better future. In 2016, two Pakistani wrestlers, Muhammad Inam and Muhammad Bilal, went missing after competing in a tournament in Germany. In 2012, four Pakistani hockey players, Imran Butt, Muhammad Rizwan Junior, Muhammad Tousiq and Kashif Shah, vanished after playing in the Champions Trophy in Australia