Mumbai, June 9 : They have told investigators that after the youths were taken to the hills of Appa Pada, main accused Uday Pathak slit their throats one by one while his accomplices grabbed them tight. They have added that his motive was to spread terror in the area.

The arrested persons have been identified as Vaibhav Chauhan, 23, Bholu Chaube, 22, Hemant Gupta, 28, Amit Soni, 23, and Rashmikant Khatri, 22, all residents of Kurar.

According to the police, the arrests were made on receipt of specific information about their hideouts in and around the city. While some were picked up from their relatives' houses, some had taken shelter with friends. The arrests were made from Nalasopara, Borivli and Bhayander, police sources said.

"All the arrested people have active roles in the murders. Pathak and a few others are yet to be arrested," said joint police commissioner, crime, Himanshu Roy.

As per the details gathered from the interrogation of the five people arrested, the police have learnt that the accused took Chetan Dhule, Ganesh Karanje, Bharat Kudale and Dinesh Ahire in autorickshaws to Appa Pada, where they were joined by main accused Uday Pathak.

"Pathak instructed his men to first stuff the mouths of the four victims. Their clothes were removed, and they were whipped with belts. Pathak slit their throats one by one using a chopper. According to the arrested people, Pathak's motive was to spread terror in Kurar. He wanted to set an example of his brutality through these gruesome murders," said an interrogator.

After killing the innocent youths, Pathak and his men smashed their faces with huge stones in order to conceal their identities, he added. They then left the Appa Pada area and went to their respective hideouts.

"The entire incident occurred between 11pm and 1am," said Roy.