A group of about 50 youths abducted seven teenagers in the town of Mugegawa, Gifu Prefecture, at around 11 p.m. Saturday night and beat them before releasing them Sunday, local police said.
According to police officials, the seven had gone to a convenience store in the town on scooters at around 11 p.m. They were outside talking when they were forced into several vehicles by the group, which appeared to be a gang in cars and on motorbikes.
At around 3 a.m. Sunday, two of the victims -- a 16-year-old high school student of the city of Seki and a 17-year-old unemployed youth also residing in the city -- were released near a hospital in the neighboring town of Takatomi. Both had been beaten in the face and were seriously injured, police said.
The rest of the abducted youths, of whom three suffered slight injuries to their faces, were later found to have been released, police added.