A gang of five persons was arrested by Thanrampattu police in Tiruvannamalai on Saturday for allegedly assaulting a commuter in a government bus a few days ago.

The police said that the arrested persons were identified as K. Ragu, 28, C. Santhosh, 26, R. Asaithambi, 25, G. Madhavan, 24, and N. Sukumar, 21. They belong to Annandal village near Chengam town. The victim, R. Sivasankar, 27, also belongs to the same village.

Initial inquiry revealed that key suspect Ragu, a mason, and victim Sivasankar had a dispute over Sivasankar befriending Ragu’s wife.

When Sivasankar boarded the bus bound for Tiruppur, Ragu and Santhosh reportedly attacked him.

The police said that as the driver stopped the vehicle, the duo fled with other gang members. A Badly injured Sivasankar was admitted to Government Medical College Hospital in Tiruvannamalai town before he was referred to a hospital in Vellore. A case was registered.

Police said that special teams analysed CCTV camera footage on the route and mobile phone signals. The team nabbed the suspects from their hideout in the village. Later, they were lodged at Central Prison in Vellore. A probe is under way.