Bhubaneswar, May 17: Three persons were today sent to jail on charges of beating up a physically-challenged person at Tamando market yesterday. The victim runs a medicine store in the market.

The accused — Bishnu Chandra Swain, Mahendra Swain and Ganesh Swain of Tamando village — were sent to jail after their bail pleas were rejected by a local court. Two others accused are absconding.

The police said the five accused assaulted Bisworanjan Swain, the handicapped medicine store owner, even as a large crowd watched. They also threw stones at the shop and damaged it.

Based on Bisworanjan’s complaint, the police registered an FIR against the five accused. In his complaint Bisworanjan has stated that yesterday afternoon Neelu Behera and Titan Swain, who work for a cable TV operator, had come to his shop. They had asked him to pay the TV bill as he was one of the subscribers of the operator’s network.

When Bisworanjan told them that he was not carrying any money with him and would pay them in the evening, Titan punched him in the face and dragged him on to the road. “Soon Titan’s other cousins joined him and beat me mercilessly on the road. I was crying for help,” said the complainant, who walks with the help of two crutches.

While he was being beaten up, people had gathered at the spot but none tried to save him.

“When his sister requested the accused to leave him, they also manhandled her,” said Arjun Paikaray, a local who was an eyewitness to the incident. On getting information, a police control room (PCR) van was rushed to the spot. When the police arrived, the goons even threatened the people who called the cops. However, when two more PCR vans reached the spot, the accused tried to flee. The police could catch three of them while two others managed to escape.

“We have forwarded them to the court. Two other accused will be arrested soon,” said a police officer.