Mangaluru: Five second-year undergraduate students, all hailing from Kerala, have been arrested by Karnataka Police for allegedly abducting and brutally assaulting two first-year BBA students in Mangaluru, officials confirmed on Saturday.

The incident occurred on September 19 in the Pandeshwar area, where the victims, both 19-year-old first-year BBA students from Kerala, were intercepted while walking near their campus.

According to investigators, a group of senior students forced the duo onto motorcycles and took them to a secluded location.

 

Stripped and assaulted with metal rods

Police officials stated that the senior students launched a violent physical attack after the freshers refused to comply with their demands. According to the official police complaint, the victims were allegedly “assaulted with belts, metal rods and pipes”.

Investigators added that the accused allegedly “removed their clothes and threatened them with further consequences if they reported the incident to the college authorities or police”.

Following the ordeal, the injured students returned to their home state of Kerala. Encouraged by their parents, they subsequently approached the Pandeshwar Police Station in Mangaluru to lodge a formal complaint, leading to an immediate criminal investigation.


All accused and victims hail from Kerala

Mangaluru City Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy confirmed the identities of the five arrested students, all aged 19 and studying second-year BBA Logistics at a private institution in the city.

They have been identified as Rahan M P and Rohan Ramesh, both hailing from Payyanur in Kannur district, Nashed Ameer, also from Kannur district, Mohammed Uvais from Kasaragod district and Mohammed Adil U P, belonging to Kozhikode district.

The Police Commissioner stated that a manhunt is currently underway for four additional students who were allegedly involved in the incident, as broader investigations continue.


PTI