An official from the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Aceh Barat and the married woman he was caught having intercourse with were paraded naked through a village, tied to a pole and brutally beaten, it was reported on Thursday.

The married ministry official, identified as Bus, 36, was caught in the bedroom of Yus, a 28-year-old housewife, in Seuneubok village, Meulaboh district on Wednesday night.

According to Kompas.com, villagers had suspected for at least a year that the couple were having an illicit affair.

Locals said that Yus's husband was seldom home because his job required him to travel out of town extensively and they would often see Bus enter through the back door of the house at night whenever the husband was out.

The villagers agreed to catch the couple in the act and on Wednesday night after Bus believed he had secretly snuck into the house via his usual entrance, locals broke through the door and discovered the pair in bed.

Still naked, the pair were marched through the village to a security post where they were tied to a pole, where Bus was beaten till he became unconscious and had to be rushed to the intensive care unit of the Cut Nyak Dhien General Hospital in Meulaboh. His condition is unknown.

Yus was taken to Aceh Barat Police headquarters for further questioning. Villagers believed the amorous couple had smeared the good name of their village.

T Salahuddin, the head of the Public Order Office in Aceh Barat, confirmed the incident, saying the couple had violated the Criminal Code on adultery and the offense was punishable by public caning.