Woman Tied To Tree, Assaulted For Fish Theft In Karnataka's Udupi; 4 Arrested

In Udupi, Karnataka, a woman was tied to a tree and assaulted by four people after being accused of stealing fish.

Four people have been arrested in Udupi, Karnataka for allegedly tying a woman to a tree and assaulting her after being accused her of stealing fish. (Representative AI Image)

Source : ABPLIVE AI

In a shocking incident, four people allegedly tied a woman to a tree and assaulted her after accusing her of stealing fish in Karnataka's Udupi, police said on Wednesday, PTI reported.

The accused were identified as Lakshmi, Shilpa, Sundar and Chandra.

According to the police, the incident occurred on March 18 at Malpe Port in Udupi. The victim, a resident of Vijayanagara district, was accused by locals of stealing fish.

A video of the same incident has gone viral on social media. In the purported video, the victim was seen tied to a tree and being slapped by a person while the crowd stands by. The police said that despite the public humiliation, no one intervened to stop it.

Then in Belagavi, a woman was stripped and assaulted, last week, two women were gang-raped in Hampi – Now in Udupi, a woman was tied to a pole and beaten because she allegedly stole fish. Yes, fish!

Complete breakdown of law and order!

This inefficient @INCKarnataka government… pic.twitter.com/Hc0flHYwa0

— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) March 19, 2025

Condemning the incident, Udupi Deputy Commissioner Vidya Kumari K said an FIR has been registered.

"Whether or not the woman committed any wrongdoing is under investigation, but assaulting someone publicly is inhuman. It is even more disturbing that bystanders laughed and failed to intervene," she said, PTI reported.

What Karnataka CM said?

Condemning the incident, CM Siddaramaiah said in a post on X, "In Malpe, Udupi district, I was shocked to see a video of a woman being tied to a tree and hanged inhumanly on charges of stealing fish. Whatever the reason, tying a woman's hands and feet and assaulting her in this way is not only inhumane but also a serious crime."

He added, "Such barbaric behavior is not befitting a civilized country like Karnataka. We have the police department and legal system to take action against those involved in theft, cheating and fraud. When a complaint is filed, the police investigate and are competent to punish under the law, the government will not tolerate the public taking the law into their own hands.""

"I have instructed the police to conduct a proper investigation into this incident and take necessary action", he added.

ಉಡುಪಿ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯ ಮಲ್ಪೆಯಲ್ಲಿ‌
ಮೀನು ಕಳ್ಳತನ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದಾರೆಂದು ಆರೋಪಿಸಿ ಮಹಿಳೆಯೊಬ್ಬರನ್ನು ಮರಕ್ಕೆ ಕಟ್ಟಿ ಅಮಾನುಷವಾಗಿ ತಳಿಸಿದ ವೀಡಿಯೋ ಕಂಡು ದಿಗ್ಭ್ರಮೆಯಾಯಿತು.

ಕಾರಣವೇನೇ ಇರಲಿ ಒಬ್ಬ ಮಹಿಳೆಯನ್ನು ಈ ರೀತಿ ಕೈಕಾಲು ಕಟ್ಟಿ ಹಲ್ಲೆ ಮಾಡುವುದು ಅಮಾನವೀಯ ಮಾತ್ರವಲ್ಲ, ಗಂಭೀರ ಅಪರಾಧವೂ ಹೌದು.

ಇಂತಹ ಅನಾಗರೀಕ ವರ್ತನೆ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದಂತಹ…

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) March 19, 2025