In an alarming incident, two women were allegedly tied and beaten up by realtors over a land issue in Vishakapatnam’s Buchayapeta mandal on Tuesday. Apparently, the realtors wanted to snatch the nine acres of land which the women were tilling, and resorted to violence to scare them.

Mahalaxmi Kala and Adi Lakshmi Maha Lakshmi are daughters of Kala Devudu of Mallambupathipalem village and were cultivating the Banjaru (assigned) land for some days, which is close to the 34-acre site, reportedly owned by realtors from Anakapalli.

On Tuesday morning, when Venkata Laxmi and Adi Laxmi were working in their field, a group of men asked them to stop cultivating the land. When they refused, they claimed that Karri Shekar and Satti Babu M tied them up with ropes and beat them with the help of other men.

Speaking to media, the Laxmi sisters said, "When we asked them, first they said they were here on a picnic, but later one among them, Karri Shekar, ordered to beat us up. They tied us with a rope and stuffed plastic covers in our mouths."

Krishna Rao, Buchyapaeta SI, while speaking to TNM said, "Based on a complaint by the victims, we have registered a case against 12 people who have been identified."

However, he said that they are yet to be arrested.

He also said, "Our primary probe suggests that the land belongs to the victims."