Man injured in firing by Mumbai cop during robbery bid dies; accused faces murder charge
Thane, (PTI): One of the two men injured in firing by a debt-ridden member of the Mumbai Police's Quick Response Team (QRT) has died while undergoing treatment at a Mumbai hospital, a top police official said on Monday.
Thane district Superintendent of Police Vikram Deshmane said the deceased was identified as Ajiz Aslam Sayyed (30).
Sayyed and his cousin Firoz Sheikh (27), residents of Virar, were proceeding towards Malegaon town in North Maharashtra on a two-wheeler when a man opened fire at them on the night of October 13 near Mende village in Thane district, leaving them injured, he said.
The attacker was later identified as Suraj Deoram Dhokre (37), a member of the Mumbai Police's Quick Response Team, who had incurred a debt of Rs 62 lakh and wanted to rob the duo, according to the police.
Dhokre was arrested from Shirdi in Ahmednagar district on October 15 and initially booked for attempt to murder charge and also under the Arms Act by the Thane police. His real identity was revealed during interrogation post-arrest.
Superintendent of Police Deshmane said after Sayyed died during treatment at a hospital in Mumbai on October 16, murder charge under IPC section 302 has been invoked against the accused.
The SP said Dhokre was in a heavy debt, running up to Rs 62 lakh, which he had taken from banks, financial institutions and also accumulated through credit card spending.
The QRT member had resorted to robberies to earn money to pay off his debt and attack on the duo was part of that strategy, he said.
On the day of the incident, Dhokre had received a call from a bank with regards to loan repayment and also had a tiff with his family members, Deshmane said.
Prashant Dhole, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Ganeshpuri Division), said Dhokre was on Monday produced before a local magistrate after the expiry of his police remand and sent to jail under judicial custody.
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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.
