The police identified the two as Asif and Iqbal.

Police on Tuesday registered an FIR and arrested two residents of Khushhal Colony in Ghaziabad’s Loni for allegedly tying two men to an electricity pole and beating them up on suspicion of theft.

The police said the two victims, Asif and Iqbal, aged 19 and 20 years, are from the same locality and was nabbed by locals early Tuesday. They were severely beaten with belts and were also punched and kicked.

Two men, identified as Dheeraj Tripathi and Divyansh Rathor, were arrested in connection with the incident.

The act was captured on mobile phone by some locals and later the video was circulated widely on social media.

“After the incident was brought to our notice, our police post in-charge lodged an FIR against two locals and one other person who is yet to be identified. We have booked them for wrongful confinement, voluntarily causing hurt and criminal intimidation,” Neeraj Kumar Singh, station house officer, of the Tronica City police station, said.

On the other hand, locals Rakesh Mishra and Riyaz also filed a police complaint against Asif and Iqbal, alleging that they had entered his house around 3 am for thieving.

“The second FIR of theft attempt was lodged against the two men. They were caught on suspicion of theft and handed over to the police. We are investigating both allegations,” Singh said.

Police sources said the two men had allegedly stolen some cash and mobile phones from the houses of Mishra and Riyaz around 3 am and later went to a nearby roof and slept.

However, after a hue and cry was raised about the theft, the locals went for search and found the two men sleeping on the roof of one of the houses in the locality.

“The cash allegedly stolen was not found from their possession but mobiles were recovered,” said a police officer.

The locals then brought the two men down and tied them to the pole with the help of a wire.

In the video, the locals are seen repeatedly beating up the two men with belts and were asking them about the stolen money.

Some men allegedly tried to stop others from beating them but others kept on alleging that they had stolen mobiles and cash.