A man and his two female relatives, including a minor, were tied to a tree in Dhar and mercilessly caned following charges of elopement, the police said.

Five people were arrested on Wednesday and the police are on the lookout for four others. The police swung into action after a video of the caning went viral on social media.

Dhar SP Virendra Singh said the incident occurred in Arjun Colony in Dhar. A woman named Sunita was married to one Mukesh, but she deserted him and eloped with Ravi. Mukesh had lodged a missing person’s report with the police in an attempt to trace his missing wife.

On Tuesday, he called Ravi for a ‘compromise’ and the latter came with two of his female relatives. However, things got out of hand and Mukesh and his relatives tied Ravi and his two relatives to a tree and caned them.

In the video, one can see a woman tied to a tree and being caned by another woman.

Later, a person can be seen approaching the man and beating him too. When the woman tries to ward off the blows with her arm, a man can be seen twisting her arm as she is being caned. The minor girl can be seen pleading for help, but none of the onlookers came forward to help. Many of them could be seen making a video of the incident.

According to the police, Mukesh took a lead in the beating, and he has been arrested along with four others. Cases under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act have been registered against the accused.

First Published: May 16, 2019 19:34 IST