The Muvattupuzha police have arrested five youths for allegedly attacking a woman and attempting to outrage her modesty late on Sunday night.

The arrested are Ajith Suku, 19, Advaith Suni, 20, Tomy Shaji, 19, Arjun Sanil, 20, and Ashwin Raghu, 20, all natives of Marady near Muvattupuzha. They were reportedly in an inebriated state.

According to the police, the woman was attacked while walking towards the Muvattupuzha KSRTC bus stand to catch a bus home. The youths, who arrived on two motorcycles, allegedly followed her and approached her with malicious intent.

The police said that although the woman attempted to flee, the accused tried to knock her down using their motorcycles. She managed to escape by boarding a passing tipper lorry with the help of a motorcyclist who stopped after noticing her plight. The man also boarded the lorry after his motorcycle failed to start. The accused then allegedly chased the lorry for nearly 15 km. While aboard the vehicle, the woman called the Muvattupuzha police, who alerted night patrol teams in the area. The accused abandoned the pursuit after noticing a police jeep.

The five were arrested by an investigation team led by Muvattupuzha Inspector Anil George. They were produced before the court and remanded.