New Delhi:
British nationals Duncan Grant and Alan Waters, who were charged with sexual abuse of minor children at the Anchorage shelter home for street children in Mumbai, were arrested by the city police today.
Grant, 67, and Allan, 63, were arrested from the Mahatma Phule Nagar slum in Cuffe Parade of South Mumbai, senior Inspector at Colaba police station Vinod Sawant said.
After conducting a medical test on the duo at the G T hospital, police produced them before a Sessions Court where the two said that police had taken them into custody, though they themselves wanted to surrender.
"Police prevented us from surrendering before the court and they arrested us", Grant said in the court.
However, the court said they could contest it at the proper forum.
As soon as they were brought to the court, judge D R Shirsao said, "You are already informed why you are arrested, you will have to undergo the remaining jail term and the warrant is also issued."
Their advocate Tariq Sayyed also moved an application in the court contending that Grant and Waters were arrested even before they could surrender.
On Friday, the Supreme Court had overturned their acquittal by the Bombay High Court.
(Read: Supreme Court convicts 2 British nationals for paedophilia)The men, who ran the shelter, had been convicted by a trial court in 2006 after five minor boys from the shelter testified against them. But in 2008, the Bombay High Court had acquitted them, saying the six-year jail term awarded was too harsh a penalty.
The Bombay High Court had doubted the authenticity of the witnesses who testified against Grant and Waters. But the Supreme Court said, "The analysis of the prosecution witness confirms the fact these three used to have sex with children."
The Supreme Court order also applied to Indian national William D Souza, who worked at the shelter and had also been convicted.
(With PTI inputs)