Mangaluru: Two persons have been arrested for alleged moral policing at a restaurant in Mangaluru city targeting an online journalist who was there with his female friend, police said on Tuesday.

The arrested men have been identified as Chethan (37), a resident of Kotekar, and Naveen (43), a native of Yeyyadi, police said.

The arrest was made based on the reporter’s complaint that the two men abused and tried to assault him for being in the company of the woman when he was at the restaurant on July 28.

In his complaint, the reporter said the accused, who took him to be from a particular religion, questioned as to why he was with a woman from another community.