KOCHI: North police have arrested the owner and employee of a tourist home for brutally assaulting a woman. The arrested people are Ben Joy (38), owner of Ben Tourist Home near Ernakulam North Railway Station, and employee Shaiju (44), a native of Thodupuzha.

According to the police, the 24-year-old woman and eight friends took two rooms in the tourist home on Sunday night. At half past ten, they gathered together in a room. When the friends started shouting after getting drunk, the owner of the tourist home came and asked them to vacate the room. A verbal argument ensued when the woman said that she would vacate the room only if the owner returned the money given as room rent. Following this, the accused beat up the woman.