Three persons were tied to a tree & beaten up in Arjun Colony on May 14

INDORE: A man and two of his female cousins - including a minor - were tied to a tree and thrashed for hours in Arjun Colony area of Madhya Pradesh 's Dhar district on Tuesday, after he allegedly eloped with a married woman. The woman's husband was among the attackers and the two girls were molested and beaten because they "helped in the elopement".

Hundreds stood and watched but none helped the victims. People took videos of the barbarism that later went viral on social media. Some of the clips show men and children laughing as the trio is whipped mercilessly. One of the girls tries to block the blows, but an elderly man twists her arm as another man and a woman continue whipping her.

Police have filed a case against nine people, four of whom are on the run. A POCSO case too has been registered. "We have arrested five people, including three women, and they have been sent to jail. We hope to arrest the four absconders soon," said CSP Sanjay Muwel.

Muwel said the wife of prime accused Mukesh ran away with her lover a few days ago. He filed a missing person's complaint at Dahi police station. On Tuesday, he tracked her down, contacted his wife's lover and asked him to come to Arjun Colony for a "compromise". When the man arrived with his cousins, Mukesh and his family allegedly molested the girls and beat them.

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In Video: Madhya Pradesh: Sisters tied to tree, molested and beaten for hours while hundreds stare