Thaindian News

Mumbai, Nov 4 (IANS) A Mumbai court Friday remanded four youths, charged with the killing of two young men who protested their attempts to harass their women friends, in judicial custody till Nov 18, police said.

The four accused - Deepak Thival, 18, Sunil Bodhe, 20, Jitendra Rane, 25, and Satish Dulhaj, 35, were arrested for assaulting Keenan Santos, 25, and Reuben Fernandez, 27, Oct 20 which led to the two young men’s deaths to the outrage of Mumbai and the entire state.

The four accused are charged with attacking Santos and Fernandez after Rane allegedly harassed and teased Santos’ girlfriend outside a restaurant in the north-west suburb of Andheri, said the official from D.N. Nagar police station.

Following the vehement protests by Santos, Fernandez and their other friends, Rane went away.

However, he returned sometime later with 20 others, started beating the objectors mercilessly with sticks and cricket stumps and brutally stabbed Santos and Fernandez.

While Santos succumbed to his injuries the same evening, Fernandez was taken to a hospital but died Oct 31.

Even as police swung into action and managed to nab the accused within hours, and also recovered the weapons used in the killing soon afterwards, the incident triggered a wave of strong protests on social networking sites and the media.

Police assert that the accused have confessed to their crimes and the authorities have a solid case against the arrested men.