Pune Techie murder case: Magistrate court sends 21 accused to jail

A magistrate's court in Pune has remanded 21 accused to judicial custody in connection with the murder of IT professional Mohsin Shaikh.

All the 21 accused were produced before the court on Thursday after the expiry of their police remand.

Shaikh, a resident of Hadapsar area of Pune, was beaten to death last week while he was returning home after dinner.

Police linked the brutal killing to the circulation of offensive images of Maratha warrior king Shivaji and Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray on Facebook and WhatsApp. The posting of the morphed photos of the iconic leaders had triggered violence over the past week.

Police said Shaikh was not linked to the uploading of the photos.

On Thursday, Dhananjay Desai, the chief of the Hindu Rashtra Sena, was named as one of the accused in the murder of Sheikh.

Desai was arrested for distributing provocative pamphlets last week, but has denied any involvement in the murder of Shaikh.

He has been sent to the Yerwada Jail after being arrested by the Hadapsar area police.

All of the accused are said to be having links with the Hindu Rashtra Sena.