Rajasthan minister Meghwal gets threat call demanding Rs 70 lakh; caller traced to Malaysia: Police
Bikaner/Jaipur, Jun 8: Rajasthan minister Govind Ram Meghwal, who was staying at a resort in Udaipur along with other Congress MLAs ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls, was allegedly threatened by a man who demanded Rs 70 lakh from him.
IG (Bikaner) Omprakash said the caller identified as Sethi Ram alias Sunil Bishnoi was traced to Malaysia.
The officer said Sunil made an internet call to the disaster and relief management minister on Tuesday and threatened him with dire consequences if he failed to make the payment.
"Around a dozen people who were in touch with the caller have been detained and are being interrogated," Omprakash said.
According to police, Sunil, who belongs to Bikaner, had gone to Malaysia two-and-a-half years ago along with his friends -- Aman Bishnoi, Amarjeet and Rakesh Kumar. He started working there as a security guard.
Though Amarjeet and Aman returned, Rakesh and Sunil stayed back in Malaysia, they said.
The IG said Amarjeet, Aman and 12 others have been detained in this regard.
It is being investigated whether the accused have connections with any gangs, he said.
Superintendent of Police Yogesh Yadav earlier said the caller had identified himself as a member of SOPU gang, and also issued a threat to the minister's family members who live in Bikaner.
Meanwhile, the security outside the minister's residence in Vyas Colony has been tightened.
Meghwal later returned to Jaipur from Udaipur along with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday.
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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.
