67-year-old woman held for supplying firearms to gangsters in Delhi-NCR
New Delhi (PTI): A 67-year-old woman was arrested for alleged involvement in an organised illegal firearms trafficking syndicate that supplied weapons to gangsters and dreaded criminals operating in Delhi-NCR, an official said on Saturday.
Using her age as a cover to evade suspicion, the woman would procure firearms from suppliers in Madhya Pradesh and transport the consignments to Delhi or Meerut, where the weapons were sold to gangsters and other criminals, police said.
Rambiri, a Meerut resident, was arrested and a consignment of illegal firearms -- four pistols and three extra magazines -- was recovered from her possession.
According to the police, the arrest was made as part of a special drive in view of the increasing use of firearms in recent crimes reported across Delhi NCR.
Intelligence was gathered about syndicates involved in the sale, purchase and transportation of illegal arms, leading to the identification of Rambiri as an active member of one such network.
Investigations revealed that she used her age as a cover to evade law enforcement agencies.
"Based on specific inputs, the team tracked and apprehended Rambiri, who was found in possession of a fresh consignment of illegal firearms," a senior police officer said.
Police said Rambiri has a long criminal history linked to organised crime. After the death of her husband in 2003, she allegedly came into contact with criminals and became involved in crime.
In 2008, she was allegedly involved in a bank robbery involving Rs 1.48 crore in Gurugram, Haryana, and another bank robbery in the Jawalapur area of Haridwar, Uttarakhand. In 2009, she and her associates allegedly attempted yet another bank robbery in Delhi's Kamla Market area.
Considering the continued criminal activities of the gang, a case under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime (MCOC) Act was registered at the Special Cell in 2009. Rambiri was arrested in the case along with her associates, including Baljinder, and remained in judicial custody from 2009 to 2017, police said.
After her release from jail, she allegedly re-established contact with her associates and resumed the illegal business of buying and selling firearms, officials said, adding that further investigation is underway to identify her suppliers and the end users of the seized weapons.
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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.
