A Muslim couple was beaten to death by their Hindu neighbours in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district on Friday because their children were in a relationship, reported NDTV.

The deceased have been identified as Abbas and his wife Kamrul Nisha, residents of Rajeypur village. They were attacked by Shailendra Jaiswal, whose daughter had eloped with their son, Shaukat, a few years ago, Sitapur Superintendent of Police Chakresh Mishra said.

However, Shaukat was sent to jail on charges of abducting the girl, who was a minor at the time. The dispute between the two families was renewed after Shaukat returned from jail this week, Mishra said.

On Friday, Jaiswal’s family attacked Abbas and Nisha with iron rods and they died due to injuries to their head. The police have so far arrested three men and are searching the one absconding person.

Police personnel have been deployed in the village following the incident, reported PTI.

The couple’s bodies have been sent for postmortem. An investigation into the matter has begun.