Juveniles apprehended for desecrating statue in Vashi

The accused allegedly recorded the incident and uploaded the footage online, which went viral and triggered outrage among residents

Mumbai: Two juveniles from Mankhurd were arrested on Thursday for allegedly desecrating a statue depicting an Agri-Koli man and woman at Mini Seashore in Vashi, and circulating a video of the act on social media.

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According to the police, the incident took place on Wednesday in Vashi’s Sector 10, when two people allegedly attacked the statue installed by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) near Juhugaon Bopati at the Mini Seashore. The accused allegedly recorded the incident and uploaded the footage online, which went viral and triggered outrage among residents.

Based on the residents’ complaints, the police registered a case against unidentified persons under sections 298 (defiling place of worship), 299 (outraging religious feelings) and 302 (Punishes the intentional utterance of words or sounds to hurt the religious feelings of any person) read with section 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.

Police said special teams were constituted to trace the suspects, which led them to an Instagram account named “ILAAS_011”. Further investigation led the police to the Lallubhai Compound area in Mankhurd. Subsequently, a police team led by sub-inspector Babasaheb Sangale detained the suspects on Thursday. During verification of their Aadhaar cards and birth certificates, it was confirmed that both were juveniles.

“The two admitted to committing the act. The mobile phone used to record the video has been seized,” said a police officer, adding that they were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board.