KOTTAYAM: Five third-year nursing students have been arrested for allegedly ragging first-year students at the Government Nursing College, police said here on Wednesday.

Police registered a case after three first-year students lodged a complaint alleging that the ragging had been going on for nearly three months at the institute.

According to the complaint, the ragging began last November.

The students alleged that they were forced to stand naked and were subjected to brutal acts using dumbbells meant for weightlifting. Further allegations include injuries inflicted using compasses and similar objects followed by the application of lotion on the wounds. Additionally, they were forced to have cream applied to their faces, heads, and mouths.

The complaint also states that senior students regularly extorted money from juniors on Sundays to buy alcohol and frequently assaulted them.

Unable to bear the harassment any longer, three students finally lodged a complaint with the Kottayam Gandhinagar police.