Ten people were arrested for allegedly brutally assaulting a 20-year-old man after mistaking him for a thief in Karila village here, officials said on Friday.
According to police, the incident took place on Wednesday night in Khandee Majra, where locals, already distressed over a series of recent thefts, spotted the youth moving "suspiciously" near a house.
Believing him to be a thief, the villagers chased him down near the railway station, tied him to an electric pole, and thrashed him mercilessly with sticks and slippers, police said.
Talbehat SHO Manoj Mishra said the victim, identified as Brijendra (20), a resident of Simardha in Pali, later filed a complaint against the attackers.
Police registered a case under relevant sections pertaining to unlawful assault, wrongful confinement, and rioting, and on Thursday arrested the accused, identified as Nannu Kushwaha, Rajkumar, Harcharan, Ravi, Mukesh, Amit Bhole, Shankar, Dhaniram, Phoolchand, and Asharam, he said.
"All the accused have been sent to jail, and a detailed investigation is underway," the officer added.