Bucharest: Andrew Tate, a divisive social media personality and former professional kickboxer, was detained in Romania late Thursday on charges of human trafficking and rape, according to local media reports.

Tate, a British-US citizen who previously was banned from various social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and hate speech, was reportedly detained along with his brother Tristan in the Ilfov area north of Romania's capital, Bucharest.

Romania's anti-organised crime agency said in a statement late that four suspects, including two British citizens and two Romanians, were arrested on charges of being part of an organised crime group, human trafficking and rape.

The agency, DIICOT, said the British citizens recruited women who were subjected to "acts of physical violence and mental coercion," sexually exploited by group members and forced to perform in pornography intended to reap "important financial benefits."

The statement did not name the Tate brothers. Photographs published by Romanian media outlets pictured Tate being led away in handcuffs by masked law enforcement officers.

DIICOT said it identified six people who were sexually exploited by the organised criminal group, and that five homes were raided on Thursday. The suspects were detained for 24 hours.

Earlier this week, Tate posted a video on Twitter of a mountainous region of Romania, the Eastern European country where he is reported to have lived for the last five years.

Tate also was embroiled this week in a war of words with 19-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg after he shared a picture of himself standing next to a Bugatti on Twitter and bragged that he owned 33 cars.

Video footage from the police raid accompanying the anti-organised crime agency's statement shows several blurred-out sports cars, wads of cash, and a handgun.

On Wednesday, the British national was told to “get a life” by Thunberg on Twitter after he told her he owned 33 cars with "enormous emissions."

It all began when Tate, a self-described misogynist, bragged about owning “33 cars” and said he is happy to share details about the “enormous emissions” of his cars. Tagging Greta Thunberg, he asked for her email address.

Thunberg, 19, clapped back with a savage reply that became hugely viral. “Yes, please do enlighten me,” she tweeted in response, adding a made-up email address to mock Tate. The fake address ends with “get a life”.

The interaction did not end there. Tate, in turn, shared his response in a video. The two-minute clip has him speaking, wearing a robe and holding a cigar. At one point, he is seen collecting two pizza boxes from someone and placing them on the table.

The boxes, from Jerry’s Pizza – which has outlets in Romania – are suspected to have helped the Romanian authorities track down Andrew Tate, according to several reports.

 

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New Delhi, Apr 7 (PTI): The CBI on Monday informed a Delhi court that former JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, who allegedly went missing on October 15, 2016, had refused treatment at Safdarjung Hospital after allegedly being assaulted by a group of students belonging to the ABVP.

The CBI made the submission before additional chief judicial magistrate Jyoti Maheshwari while arguing on its closure report and a protest plea filed against it by Ahmed's mother Fatima Nafees.

The central probe agency said the statements of the hospital's doctor and medical attendant were not taken due to the absence of any such document to show Ahmed's visit.

"Upon visiting the hospital, Ahmed was advised to get an MLC prepared. However, he, accompanied by his friend Md Quasim, went back to the hostel and did not get any MLC prepared," the investigating officer (IO) claimed.

The judge recorded the submission and adjourned the matter for May 9, when the IO was ordered to also appear.

The CBI in October 2018 closed its investigation into the case as the agency's efforts to trace Ahmed, a Master’s student at JNU, yielded no results.

The agency filed its closure report before the court in the case after getting permission from the Delhi High Court.

Ahmed went missing from the Mahi-Mandvi hostel of JNU on October 15, 2016, following a scuffle with some students allegedly affiliated to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) the previous night.

Nafees' counsel had contended before the court that it was a “political case” and that the “CBI has succumbed to the pressure of its masters”.

The case was probed by Delhi Police but later transferred to the CBI.