Gangster Suresh Pujari deported to India from Philippines; brought to Mumbai by Maha ATS
Mumbai(PTI): Gangster Suresh Pujari, wanted in several extortion cases in Mumbai region and Karnataka who was on the run for over 15 years, has been deported to India, a senior police official said on Wednesday.
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Wednesday took custody of Pujari in Delhi and brought him to Mumbai in connection with cases registered against him in Thane city, an official said.
Pujari, wanted in extortion cases in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Ulhasnagar and Dombivli near Mumbai, was brought back to India late Tuesday night after he was arrested and deported from the Philippines.
Intelligence Bureau (IB) and CBI officials took his custody after he landed at Delhi airport, the official said.
An ATS team, led by DCP Rajkumar Shinde, went to Delhi to take Pujari's custody on Tuesday evening. He was brought to Mumbai on Wednesday morning by a flight, the official said.
All the cases registered against Pujari in Thane city were transferred to the Maharashtra ATS on orders of the state Director General of Police's (DGP) office, he said.
Accordingly, these cases will be investigated by the ATS, he said. After he was brought to Mumbai, Pujari was produced before a court here for his custody, he said.
After Maharashtra ATS, Mumbai Police will take Pujari's custody in connection with the cases registered against him in the Maharashtra capital, he said.
Mumbai and Thane police had issued red-corner notices against Pujari in 2017 and 2018, respectively after several extortion cases were lodged against him.
Pujari, who was on the run for over 15 years, was nabbed in the Philippines in October, the official said. Altogether 23 extortion cases have been registered against him in Thane, he said.
He was a close relative of gangster Ravi Pujari but separated from him in 2007. He then fled abroad.
Early in his career in crime, he had worked with underworld don Chhota Rajan and Ravi Pujari and later formed his own gang, the official said.
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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.
