Dakshina Kannada (Karnataka),  Karnataka Police have arrested five persons in connection with the alleged moral policing that took place near Surathkal in Dakshina Kannada district, said Mangaluru Police Commissioner N. Shashi Kumar on Tuesday.

Commissioner Shashi Kumar said the accused had stopped the vehicle in which 6 students including three girls studying in a reputed medical institute were travelling on Sunday. They had gone to Malpe beach area on a trip and were returning when they were stopped by the accused midway. They took details from the students in the Surathkal police station limits, he added.

One of the students was injured as the accused dragged him from the vehicle. A complaint was filed in this regard which mentions that they were manhandled and abused by a group of unknown men.

"Our police inspector Sharif who happened to be passing by the same road in his private car stopped and controlled the mob. The students were taken to the police station to prevent any untoward incident," the complainant said.

The accused told the police that they stopped the car as they got information that, the group of boys misbehaved with girls. "When we investigated the matter, no such thing was found. All belonged to the same class and studied in the second year in their professional courses," he explained.

When asked about the attack that happened as the boys in the group belonged to a different religion, Commissioner Shashi Kumar said it was also one of the reasons for the attack.

The video of the incident taken by one of the passers-by went viral on the social media. Sources explained that the medical students had gone to an island near Malpe Beach on a trip. They were observed and followed by the accused persons. When the group targeted the medical students, they confronted the mob and questioned them as to why they are being stopped.

The investigation is on.