The Juhu police have booked three people and arrested the main accused for allegedly brutally assaulting and subsequently stripping two minor brothers, while holding them captive on the suspicion of theft. The other two assailants are yet to be identified.
While the duo's mother has passed away, their father has deserted them. They are looked after by their maternal grandmother, a ragpicker. The accused also allegedly recorded the entire torture and later uploaded the clip on social media.
According to the FIR, the incident occurred near the victims' residence in Nehru Nagar, Vile Parle West, on the night of September 23 night. The siblings – aged 14 and 17 – had gone to a nearby medical shop in Naidu Chawl around 3am. There, the main accused and four others caught them. The accused allegedly thrashed the brothers black and blue, stripped them, tied their hands and legs, cut their hair and paraded them in the area.
The victims were kept tied overnight and released the next morning, with threats not to reveal their ordeal. The crime came to light after the victims' grandmother saw the clip. Based on her complaint, a case was filed against three people under the relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bombay Children Act and the Information Technology Act.
