GHAZIABAD: The Ghaziabad police on Wednesday arrested two more people allegedly involved in the attack on an elderly Muslim man, according to officials.
So far, five people accused in the attack, whose video clips also went viral on social media, have been arrested while searches are underway for others, the police said.
"Intezaar and Saddam alias Bauna, both of whom were involved in the attack on Abdul Shamad Saifi have been arrested today," Senior Superintendent of Police Amit Pathak told PTI on Wednesday.
Their arrests come as the incident gained prominence with the Ghaziabad police lodging a separate FIR against social media giant Twitter, some journalists and opposition Congress politicians for circulating the video clip of the attack allegedly with an intention to disrupt communal peace.
The district police has maintained that Saifi's attackers involved both Muslims and Hindus who were unhappy with him over the "tabeez" (amulet) he had sold them and ruled out any communal angle in the case.
Earlier, the police had arrested three of the accused -- Kalloo Gurjar, Parvesh Gurjar and Adil -- while some others were indentified but are absconding, Superintendent of Police (Ghaziabad Rural) Iras Raja said.
"Intezaar and Saddam who have been arrested today were both involved in the attack on Saifi," the officer said.
"Parvesh, one of the accused, had consulted Saifi for some occult practice at his home but has had some mishappenings like wife's miscarriage and brother's accident and blamed Saifi for all this," he said.
Saddam, whose sister is wedded to Intezaar, had also got an amulet made for his son by Saifi.
He and Intezaar had taken him to Parvesh's home where he was beaten up, the police officer said.
An FIR was lodged at the Loni police station under IPC sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) two days after the incident, which took place on June 5, according to officials.