Mangaluru : In yet another case that exposed the risk faced by inter-communal couples or groups of students in Mangaluru, a 22-year-old boy Arjun from Kasaragod, Kerala, along with two girl classmates belonging to different communities were allegedly confronted at a mall in the heart of the city by an unidentified group on Tuesday.

According to Mangaluru North police, the boy and his two classmates had come to the city for sightseeing. Having visited some places, the three students came to the City Centre mall at about 2 p.m. As they came out of the mall at about 3.30 p.m., a group of persons confronted the boy for moving around with two of his friends, one of whom belonged to a different community.

The police said they immediately intervened and took the three students away in a jeep. After taking them to a safe location, the three students were asked to narrate the incident and asked to file a complaint.

But the three students refused to pursue the matter and wanted to get back to their home town. The students then left the city in a bus without filing any complaint.

The police said they would check closed-circuit television camera footage about the incident and take up the case.

However, it is not clear why the group was not picked up by the police for questioning and only the students were whisked away.

Police Commissioner S. Murugan said to media the students had  not been assaulted but they were confronted.