Five persons have been arrested in Assam for forcing a couple to allegedly “indulge in a sexual act” which the accused also recorded.

Bongaigaon SP Mohan Lal Meena told The Telegraph on Tuesday that the police have booked the accused —Jiren Sarkar, Seboram Sarkar, Biltu Rabha, Sunit Rabha and Dalim Barman — under multiple IPC sections along with the POCSO Act (since the girl is a minor), and the IT Act.

The five are aged between 24 and 30.

“The five youths were arrested on Monday and remanded to three days in police custody. The accused had also extorted ₹4500 from the duo and then forced them to indulge them in sexual act,” Meena said.

Though the incident occurred at a tourist destination Bhumeshwar Hills in lower Assam’s Bongaigaon district on May 15, it came to light on May 18 after the video with sexual content started doing the round of social media. The incident has caused outrage.

"Once we came across the video we started tracing them. We got the video clips from local journalists. The girl identified them from their photographs. We are trying to create awareness among the local people to prevent a repeat,” he said.

The arrested youths hailed from the area where the incident took place while the couple were from the neighbouring Chirang district. The boy is 20 years old while the girl is a minor.

The sections they have been booked deal with criminal conspiracy, wrongful confinement, assault or criminal force on a woman or abetting such act with the intention of disrobing or compelling her to be naked, stalking, putting a person in fear of death or of grievous hurt to commit extortion along with section 8/12 of the POCSO Act and sections 66E, 67/67A of IT Act.