Chandigarh: In a shocking incident, a Ludhiana factory manager who accused a woman, her three nieces and a youth of theft from the clothes unit he worked in, blackened their faces and paraded them around in the neighbourhood with placard around their neck, reading ``I am a thief and I admit my crime’’.

While the incident is said to be that of Tuesday, videos of the same, made by some people witness to the public humiliation of the victims, went viral on Wednesday.

While police has arrested the factory manager and an employee, the Punjab state women commission, has also taken a suo motu cognisance of the same and initiated action against the factory managers and others. Stating that the commission officers would also record their statements of the victims, It has also asked the police to submit before it the status report on Thursday.

According to information, the incident took place at a cloth factory in Ekjot Nagar on Bahadur Ke road where the accused factory manager, caught the woman, her three nieces and a youth, identified as Abhishek, accusing them of stealing clothes from his factory, blackened their faces with black ink, made hang placards around their neck which read - "I am a thief and I admit my crime’’ and paraded them in the neighbourhood.

The woman, however, can be heard saying in the video that she and her nieces did not steal the clothes but had bought the clothes allegedly stolen by youth.

Confirming the details, the area police station, SHO Jasbir Singh, said that it was an extremely shameful incident and that the police has registered a case for wrongful confinement, defamation and assault, and begun investigation.