3 Meerut cops suspended for concealing gun recovery from scooter
Meerut (UP) (PTI): Three policemen were suspended for allegedly failing to reveal the recovery of a country-made pistol from the scooter of a plumber, a senior officer said on Friday.
Head constable Chaubey Singh, Constable Omveer Singh, and Constable (driver) Anil Kumar -- all posted at Kithore Police Station -- were suspended on charges of laxity in discharge of their duties, Senior Superintendent of Police Rohit Singh Sajwan said.
The three had on Thursday recovered a country-made pistol from a scooter parked at the house of one Firoz, a local plumber.
Sajwan said the three did not inform their seniors about the recovery nor carried out the procedure as per law, which shows laxity in discharge of duty on their part, and also tarnishes the image of the police department.
Firoz had on Thursday accused police of planting a gun inside his scooter with the purpose of extorting money from him.
Police checked the CCTV and dismissed his allegation as false.
According to Firoz, on Wednesday night, three policemen came outside his house and called out his name. He was not there so his mother came out. The policemen first asked about him and then asked for the keys of the scooter.
After this, according to him, the three lifted the seat of the scooter and planted a pistol inside. They made a video and left with the scooter.
Firoz in his complaint said the policemen also threatened to come and meet them if he didn't want to go to jail.
He said since he was afraid he approached through someone the three policemen, who asked for Rs 1 lakh in bribe, and length, settled for Rs 50,000.
Firoz claimed he got his scooter back only after he paid the three men Rs 50,000.
Sajwan said, according to the CCTV footage, no illegal weapon was planted in the scooter by any policeman, nor did any policeman go near the scooter.
He said investigation is on into Firoz's claim of paying the policemen money.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
