Dhananjay Desai had allegedly instigated a group of youngsters claiming to be activists of the Hindu Rashtra Sena to vandalise the property of Star News in Mahalakshmi on April 16.

The group had damaged the Star News office after the channel aired a report about a minor girl from Surat allegedly eloping with a boy from a different community.

Desai, who was not present at the site of the incident, was arrested following a tip-off. He has cases of rioting, chain snatching and robbery registered against him in Pune, the police said.