An Indonesian man was mobbed by furious villagers when he was caught posing as a bride to marry another man he had met online.

Simpatri, 25, reportedly seduced the groom, identified only as R, 25, by pretending to be a Muslim woman on Facebook.

He introduced himself as 'Musdalifah' and began a long-distance relationship with R for six months.

Bizarrely, R proposed to get married despite never having seen any photos of his girlfriend's face. He reportedly believed she was a 'truly devout' Muslim woman who wanted to preserve her modesty.

Simpatri donned a white niqab veil that left only his eyes visible as he arrived at the wedding ceremony in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, on Tuesday.

However, R's family soon became suspicious when Simpatri refused to hand over an ID before the ceremony. He also claimed he was orphaned and had no relatives to attend the wedding.

The family ripped away the conservative Muslim garment covering the bride's body - only to find a rugged, long-haired, bearded man underneath.

Footage shows Simpatri sitting on the floor with his hands tied behind his back after allegedly being beaten. The suspected catfish was then held at an open window for all to see, with the mob hurling scathing insults at him from below.

Police later arrived at the residence in Pinrang Regency to detain Simpatri.

First Inspector Ridwan Mustari, Lembang Police Chief, said: 'We have arrested the alleged perpetrator, a man who committed identity fraud to marry another man. When we arrived at the scene, we found the perpetrator injured and with his hands tied.

'The police immediately negotiated with the victim's family to secure the perpetrator. He was then taken to the Pinrang Police Department for questioning.'

Senior Assistant Commissioner Edy Sabhara, Pinrang Police Chief, said the suspect began a long-distance relationship with R after they became acquainted on Facebook. A smitten R was said to have sent money to Simpatri on several occasions.

He said: 'During their relationship, R never asked for an original photo from his girlfriend. He respected Musdalifah enough to consider her a truly devout woman, and therefore refused to remove her niqab.'

Police said the motive for the alleged fraud was being investigated.