Mangaluru Police intensify crackdown on drug use in colleges
Mangaluru Police Commissioner Sudhir Kumar Reddy said the city police have tightened their drive against drug abuse, with regular checks being carried out in colleges. Addressing a press conference at the Police Commissioner’s office, he said that in the last one-and-a-half months, 10 students were found to have consumed drugs during surprise inspections.
He explained that 113 colleges have come forward to cooperate with the police in this effort. Based on complaints and suspicions, checks were conducted in 40 colleges, and drug use was detected among 10 students. Action has been taken against them. Apart from college checks, the police also conducted tests on over 1,200 people in public spaces during this period, out of which 478 were found to be drug users.
On the supply side, Mangaluru police have arrested 73 drug peddlers in the last three months, with 37 of them still in jail. Last year, 160 peddlers were arrested, while this year so far, 132 have been taken into custody.
The Commissioner shared further statistics: in 2023, 948 people were arrested in 713 NDPS cases and drugs worth Rs 1.71 crore were seized. In 2024, 1,404 people were arrested in 1,114 cases, with seizures worth Rs 82.52 crore. This year so far, police have registered 477 cases, arrested 610 people, and seized contraband worth Rs 2.04 crore. In just the last three days, four peddlers were arrested and 2.5 kg of ganja was seized.
To encourage tip-offs, QR codes have been installed in all colleges. The initiative has brought in several complaints, which have helped police trace the accused. Commissioner Reddy said the drive will continue and sought public cooperation. DCPs Mithun and Ravishankar were also present.
Traffic violations and fine collection
The Commissioner added that under the 50 percent rebate scheme on pending fines for Motor Vehicle Act violations, 42,600 people in Mangaluru Police Commissionerate limits paid their dues between August 23 and September 12 evening. This has helped collect Rs 1.07 crore in fines.
Action against lucky schemes
Commissioner Reddy also said police are keeping a close watch on fraudulent "lucky schemes" that cheat people in the name of prize schemes. Checks are being conducted on such operations, and action will be taken whenever complaints of cheating are received. Some organisations have been found to be running unregistered for several years.
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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.
