Trio held for vandalising Warkari statues at Dahisar, say the figures were 'mocking them'

The Warkari statues at Vitthal Chowk on SV Road at Dahisar

Three men have been arrested for allegedly vandalising statues of Warkaris at Vitthal Chowk on SV Road in Dahisar West two days ago. The trio has told the police that they were drunk and felt the statues were mocking them.

The police said the suspects - Vignesh Hegde, 30, Amar Chitoriya, 25, and Sanjay Gaaru, 30 - work as billboard painters and delivery boys and live at Dahisar. Warkaris worship Lord Vitthal, regarded as a form of Krishna and the presiding deity of Pandharpur.

Ravi Sardesai, senior inspector of MHB Colony police station, said they tracked down the trio after scanning CCTV footage of the area. "We easily identified the suspects as two of them have past criminal records. We arrested them when they were trying to flee Mumbai," said Sardesai.

The suspects have been booked under sections 295 (damaging any place of worship or any object held sacred by any class of persons) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

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Day of this month when the statues were damaged