Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh
File Photo

The city's cyber police have arrested a 26-year-old man from Pune for allegedly posting defamatory and derogatory comments against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and a female representative on the social networking website Facebook. Police said, the arrest was made on Monday, acting on a complaint lodged with the Cyber police on October 9. The accused has been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act.

According to police, a Facebook user identified Appa Keaserjavalgekar had posted objectionable posts against state Home Minister Deshmukh and a female representative. Acting on the complaint, a team from crime branch police began the probe and identified the accused as Shirshail Khajje, 26, a resident of Osmanabad. Two teams were sent to Navi Mumbai and Pune, and Khajje was arrested from Chikhali village near Pune on Sunday.

During the interrogation, Khajje confessed to the crime and said that he did so during the lockdown. The arrested accused, a native of Osmanabad, had been staying in Pune for work. He was brought in Mumbai and produced in a local magistrate court, which remanded him in police custody for two days.