Five members of a family tied a 35-year-old man to a tree in a village in Madhya Pradesh following an argument over his missing cows, and chopped off his arm with a sword, NDTV reported on Monday. The police have arrested two men in connection with the incident, which took place on Sunday.

The assault took place in Pipalwali village under Sultanpur police station area in Raisen district. The victim, searching for his missing cow, entered the home of one of the accused, who has been identified as Sattu Yadav. “When the victim entered the residential premises of Sattu Yadav in order to inquire about his missing cow, a fight followed and the two started abusing each other,” police officer Rajendra Kumar Dhurve said.

Yadav and four members of his family then tied the victim, identified as Prem Narayan Sahu, to a tree on their farm and chopped off his right arm with a sword. They also badly wounded him in his left arm.

Some villagers shot a video of the incident while the Yadavs’ neighbours called the police. Sahu was taken to hospital in a critical condition. He was later shifted to a medical facility in Bhopal.

“We have arrested two of the accused, but three others of the family are missing,” Dhurve said. They have all been charged with attempted murder.