Pilibhit (UP), March 29 Two people were arrested after a video showing a 22-year-old man allegedly tied to an electricity pole and brutally beaten in the Pilibhit district surfaced on social media, officials said on Sunday.
Following the video's appearance on social media, police registered a case and arrested two accused, while efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining suspects, officials said.
The incident took place in Pauta Kala village in the Barkheda area, where Arif, 22, had reportedly been missing for the past three days, police said.
The Barkheda Station House Officer (SHO) said that an FIR was registered against three named accused and one unidentified person based on a complaint filed by the victim's father, Shafiq Shah.
In his complaint, Shah alleged that when his son had left home around 4 pm on March 24 for the railway station via Khamariya village, the accused, identified as Talib, Kaiser, and Pappu, along with 10–12 other villagers, intercepted Arif on the way.
"They tied him to an electricity pole using a rope and thrashed him with kicks, punches, and sticks," the complainant said.
Police said a preliminary investigation revealed that Arif had allegedly gone to meet his girlfriend in the village, following which her family members and some villagers caught him.
They allegedly stripped him, tied him to a pole, and assaulted him for hours, a video of which has gone viral on social media, prompting police to register a case, they said.
A detailed investigation is underway, police said.