Passport seized, alert issued as cops hunt Kazakh coach accused of raping minor

PATIALA: A 34-year-old foreign coach attached to the Indian cycling squad has been booked under Pocso Act for allegedly raping a minor cyclist at the National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) in Patiala.Patiala police have issued a look out circular (LOC) against the accused, Maxat Ayazbayev, a former professional road cyclist from Kazakhstan. He is untraceable since the complaint was filed last week, Patiala SSP Harmandeep Singh Hans said, adding that police have seized his passport and formed two teams to track him down.Ayazbayev was scheduled to accompany the Indian cycling contingent to Japan for the Asian Games, but his travel clearance was revoked once the allegations emerged, said police.The Cycling Federation of India (CFI) is said to have suspended Ayazbayev and marked the matter to its internal complaints committee (ICC) for an inquiry.