A Metropolitan court today extended the police remand of activist Hari Prasad, who claimed to have blown the whistle on how an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) can be tampered with, conceding prosecution's request for his further custodial interrogation.

While extending Prasad's police remand till August 28, Metropolitan Magistrate V B Srikhande refused to entertain his bail plea, saying it would be considered only after his police remand gets over and he is sent to judicial custody.

Hari Prasad (42), technical coordinator of VeTA (Citizens for Verifiability, Transparency and Accountability in Elections), was arrested from Hyderabad on Saturday for allegedly stealing an EVM from the Mumbai Collector's office.

He later used the EVM for demonstrating on TV how the machine can be tampered with.

The police sought further custody of Prasad, saying it needed to find out the identity of two other activists from Maharashtra who allegedly helped him.

"This is a very sensitive case with repercussions at the national level and police should be given time and Hari Prasad's custody for investigation," Srikhande observed while passing the order.

Claiming innocence, Prasad said he did not steal the EVM, which was given to him by two persons who took it back within two days.