Mangaluru: Belthangady police have arrested three persons on charges of allegedly misbehaving with and sexually harassing female students during a trip to the Didupe waterfall in Dakshina Kannada district.

The accused have been identified as Abdul Khader Altaf (36), Faizal Adil (27) and Usman Salim (18), all natives of Kasaragod in Kerala.

According to police, the three accused had taken three young women, who were pursuing their studies in Mangaluru, to the Didupe waterfall area in Belthangady taluk on May 20.

During the outing, the accused allegedly behaved inappropriately with the women and sexually harassed them. Police said the victims resisted the alleged misconduct and raised objections at the spot.

People present at the location reportedly intervened and stopped the accused before alerting the Belthangady police station about the incident.

In an official statement, the office of Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police Arun Kumar stated that legal action has been initiated against the accused and further investigation into the case is underway.