Pak Boxer Robs Female Teammate Amid Olympic Qualifiers In Italy, Flees

Pakistani boxer Zohaib Rasheed allegedly robbed a female teammate and disappeared during the Olympic qualifiers in Italy. According to reports, Rasheed stole foreign currency from Laura Khan's bag on March 2 and quickly vanished. The Pakistan Amateur Boxing Federation said on March 5 that the Italian Police and the Pakistan Embassy in Italy had been notified about the incident. The incident has been dubbed as a taint on Pakistan's image at the coveted international tournament.

National federation's secretary, Colonel Nasir Ahmed said, "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."

Pakistani Boxer Steals From Teammate In Foreign Country

Pakistan's Olympic hopes were dimmed on March 5 when a member of the five-player squad in Italy's Olympic qualifiers robbed his teammate of cash before going missing. According to the secretary of the Pakistan Amateur Boxing Federation, the incident took place on March 2, when the woman teammate had gone out for training only to come back to the hotel and find her money-- foreign currency-- missing.

Team member Zohaib Rasheed has been missing and unreachable since the day of the robbery, which led the Federation to conclude that he was the culprit. Federation secretary Nadsir Ahmed said, "The police have been informed and they are now searching for him but he is not in contact with anyone."

The incident is now been investigated by the Pakistani Embassy in Rome after receiving a complaint from the Boxing Federation. Zohaib Rasheed won the bronze medal for Pakistan in the Asian Games 2022 in Hangzhou, China. The robbery incident has caused great embarrassment to the Pakistani team, especially considering they were vying for the coveted ticket to the Paris Olympics 2024.

Notably, this is not the first time an athlete from Pakistan has gone abroad with the national team and slipped away. During the Commonwealth Games in 2022, two boxers disappeared mysteriously before they were scheduled to fly back home. Other similar incidents point to a disturbing pattern of Pakistani athletes fleeing international tournaments.