Actress ends life after 2 men posing as NCB officials threaten her with drug case, demand Rs 20 lakh
Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik accuses NCB
Mumbai, Dec 26: Two people were arrested for allegedly posing as Narcotics Control Bureau officials and trying to extort Rs 20 lakh from a woman, who committed suicide, Mumbai police said on Sunday.
Suraj Mohan Pardeshi (38) and Pravin Raghunath Walinbe (35) were arrested on Saturday, an official said.
A call was received on Thursday by Amboli police that a woman was about to end her life, and a team that rushed to the spot along with the caller found a 28-year-old woman hanging in a flat, the official said.
"A probe found that, on December 20, the woman and some of her friends had gone to a five star hotel for a party, where they were accosted by two people who introduced themselves as NCB officials and demanded Rs 20 lakh for not naming her in a drug FIR. She was told by them that a drug bust had taken place there," he said.
"Distressed with constant calls for money from the two accused, the woman ended her life by hanging from the ceiling fan of her residence on Thursday. We arrested Pardeshi and Walinbe from Thane for abetment to suicide, extortion, cheating and other offences," the official informed.
A senior police official said the woman, originally from West Bengal, is a struggling actor and was living in a rented flat.
He said some more people are under the scanner for their likely involvement in this extortion racket.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik, who has been hitting out at the NCB for alleged irregularities in recent drug probes, tweeted about the incident and demanded a "thorough investigation".
"An actress has committed suicide within the limits of Oshiwara Police station. In the investigation, it has come to light that some people were extorting money by posing as NCB officers," he tweeted.
He alleged NCB officials had made a "private army" to carry out the "business of extortion" and demanded that this angle be investigated.
The #NCB officials had made a #PrivateArmy and through it, the business of big extortion was going on. People like Gosavi and Bhanushali was a part of it and had been exposed already. The angle of Private army needs to be investigated thoroughly! (2/2)
— Nawab Malik نواب ملک नवाब मलिक (@nawabmalikncp) December 26, 2021
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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.
