A married woman and her boyfriend were severely beaten up, allegedly on the orders of a village panchayat in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district, reported the Hindustan Times on Friday. The panchayat at Gopinathpur village in Motipur block, 95 km north of Patna, reportedly ordered that the couple be tied to a tree and thrashed after they were allegedly caught in a compromising position on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old woman and her 27-year-old boyfriend, who belonged to neighbouring Sitamarhi district, were held hostage by 100 people for about 20 hours. The mob executed the panchayat’s orders, until the police arrived and rescued the couple after a video of the incident went viral. No arrest has been made so far.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Krishna Murari Prasad said two FIRs were registered in connection with the incident at Kathaiya police station on Thursday night. “Five men have been named accused in the first FIR lodged by the woman. The other complaint was lodged against the woman and her paramour by her husband.”