On Thursday, a court in India's Mumbai City extended the police custody of two suspected militants until March 24.

Abdul Latif Rashid and Riyaz Ali Imtiaz were arrested by security forces on Sunday for allegedly plotting terror strikes in the city.

Family members of both the suspects and social activists say the two are innocent.

[Abdul Majid, Brother of Rehan]:
"They caught my brother for speaking to relatives, who are outside. We are poor people, we are not like that, and we are Indians. We earn our livelihood by selling ten rupee handkerchief. What has he done?”

Some social activists question the authorities’ motives in the arrest.

[Farooq Mukhtar, Social Activist]:
"These days whenever a Muslim is caught, without doing any inquiry they straightaway declare him a militant. This is a sad thing and the area, where Muslims live in, media highlights it as if it is the nest of militants."

The suspects were allegedly targeting the headquarters of a public sector petroleum company, a mall in suburban Mumbai and a market in the south.

Security in Mumbai has been tightened after a bomb explosion in neighboring Pune City last month that killed 16 people. It was the first major militant strike since the 2008 attacks in Mumbai.