Two people accused of murdering a Kanchipuram temple official allegedly at the behest of arrested Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi told a court Wednesday police tortured them and extracted false statements.

Kanchipuram magistrate G. Uthamarajan extended the remand of the accused, Kathiravan and Rajini, till Dec 8 after they made their submissions.

Kathiravan told the magistrate  police had compelled him to endorse their version about the murder of Sankararaman at a temple on Sep 3.

Rajini told the court he also was tortured by police. He said his wife had sent a telegram to the chief judicial magistrate seeking relief.

Police have 17 accused in custody, apart from the 71-year-old seer, who is in judicial custody after a three-day police remand. The seer had been arrested in Andhra Pradesh on Nov 11.

Prosecution claimed five of the accused in their custody were key people who had committed the killing.

--Indo-Asian News Service