A 23-year-old woman was beaten up, partially stripped and paraded with a garland of shoes in a village here on Friday before the police rescued her from her tormentors who, it has now been revealed, were acting at the behest of a relative.

Police have arrested five persons, including the victim’s aunt in-law who organised her public humiliation apparently to settle a personal score, at Chapi in Tenughat outpost of Bermo sub-division, 66km from the district headquarters.

Bokaro SP Chandan Kumar Jha said the police have lodged an FIR against the 32 accused, many of whom are women belonging to the local mahila samiti. “None of the accused will be spared,” he said.

The woman, a mother of two, lives with her husband who works in a private organisation.

According to police, a group of women entered her house at 3.30pm and dragged her outside, alleging that she was having illicit relations with another man.

Before she could react, they assaulted her viscously and smeared her face with back paint. They also tied her hands and dragged her out on the road in the village, which like everywhere else in the country was meant to be under lockdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Police, quoting eyewitnesses, said the woman pleaded with bystanders to help her, but no one did. She tried her best to hide her face while the women cut off bits of her hair.

Policemen from the local Tenughat thana reached the spot within 45 but they met with resistance from the group of women. Later, they were able to rescue the woman at the intervention of ASP of Bermo Anjani Anjana.

She was first brought to the police station where she filed a complaint. Later, she was taken to the community health centre of Gomia where she was administered first-aid.

Anjan said a case had been lodged against the 20 accused under various sections of the IPC, including section 354 that pertains to outraging the modesty of a woman and mandates a prison sentence of one to five years.

“A search is on to nab all the culprits. We do not want to give out the names of the accused women as it might hamper our investigations,” he said.