New Delhi (PTI): A 40-year-old man has been apprehended from Maharashtra in connection with the kidnapping of a man in northwest Delhi to recover a loan taken by the victim, police said on Monday.

The accused, identified as Gyaneshwar Chavhan (40), a resident of Maharashtra’s Jalna district, was arrested in connection with the abduction of Guddu Saroj, the police said.

A PCR call was received on December 27 regarding Saroj's alleged kidnapping by unknown people in a car near Panchvati, opposite Azadpur Mandi. Initially, the caller, a passerby, could not provide further details, following which CCTV footage from the area was scanned.

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“On December 29, a complainant approached the police and reported that his friend, Guddu Saroj, a resident of Adarsh Nagar, had been kidnapped around 7.30 pm on December 27 near Panchvati, Azadpur Mandi,” a senior police officer said.

He also alleged that one of the accused, identified as Rajaram, a resident of Jalna, Maharashtra, was demanding money for the victim’s release. A case was registered under Sections 140(3) (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder or for ransom etc) and 3(5) (joint liability) of the BNS and an investigation was initiated, the police said.

During the probe, the police analysed footage from more than 50 CCTV cameras, which showed the victim being abducted by two men in a car. The car, bearing a Maharashtra registration number, was identified and traced to the Jalna district, he said.

Acting on technical surveillance, a police team travelled to Maharashtra, and during the intervening night of December 31 and January 1, rescued the victim from a remote farm area in the Panewadi village in the district. Chavhan was arrested during the operation, the police said.

The operation was challenging as local residents attempted to obstruct the police action, posing a potential risk to the victim’s life, but the team managed to safely rescue him and apprehend the accused, the officer added.

During interrogation, Chavhan allegedly confessed to committing the crime along with his brother Rajaram and another associate, Somnath Udadange of Ambad, the police said. The accused also revealed that the kidnapping was carried out to recover money related to an outstanding loan taken by the victim.

The police said efforts are on to trace and arrest the remaining accused.

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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.