Hassan, Jan 28 : Karnataka police have arrested five persons for allegedly thrashing a thief and hanging him upside down in this district. According to police, Manju, a resident of Kittavara village, was caught while trying to steal coffee seeds from a plantation in Bellavar in Belur taluk. Those arrested have been identified as K.P. Raghavendra, K.P. Umesha from Bellavar village, Keerthi from Malliganuru village, Samuel from Donanamane and Naveen Raj from Kittavara village. After catching the man, the accused had tied his hands and legs and assaulted him the whole night. Next morning, they hung him upside down from a tree with a rope and beat him up with sticks, and abused him. On being informed, police rushed to the spot and rescued the thief and arrested the accused, police said. Hassan SP Hariram Shankar has confirmed that five accused have been arrested in connection with the incident and the investigation is on. /IANS