A young tribal couple from a village in Gujarat's Chhotaudepur district was allegedly abducted, tied to a tree, and thrashed with sticks as a punishment for eloping, police said on Wednesday.

The police have arrested nine men for the alleged attack that took place in Chiliyavant village under the Rangpur police station in Chhotaudepur district on Tuesday, Deputy Superintendent of Police A V Katkad said. A video of the incident, which surfaced on social media, showed some men taking turns to beat the couple, who were tied to a tree, with sticks in the presence of other villagers, the police said.

On learning about the incident through the video, the police rushed to the village on Wednesday and arrested the accused on the charges of rioting, kidnapping, and illegal confinement based on a complaint lodged by the victim girl, the official said. "The couple had eloped on July 18 with an intention of getting married. However, angry villagers eventually traced them to a neighbouring village and brought them back to Chiliyavant on Tuesday morning. The accused tied the duo to a tree and thrashed them with sticks," the DySP said.

The victim in her complaint has claimed that the accused were angry because a local tradition bars marriage of man and woman from the same village, it was stated. A similar incident took place in Dhada village under Rangpur police station a month ago, where a tribal couple was assaulted by five men as a punishment for eloping.