A Scottish couple on a round-the-world trip jumped into a river to escape an "armed" Indian gang.

Matthew Kidd and Jessica Gray were camping on the banks of the Ganges when they were approached by the group on Sunday.

The couple told police the men asked them for a selfie before trying to rob them.

Two of the robbers threatened them with what they believed were guns - although it later emerged they were only holding sticks covered with tea towels.

They were held for an hour before leaping into the river and rowing their dinghy to a nearby village.

Jessica, 28, said: "We had just set up the camp in Pandarak and were about to start preparing our dinner. We noticed that some people were coming towards us.

"They pointed guns at us demanding money. When we told them that we don't have any money for them, they started abusing us physically.

"We somehow managed to free ourselves from their clutches after an hour and jumped onto our boat. We paddled briskly to cross over to the other side of the bank where local people came to our rescue."

The couple, both former geography teachers from Glasgow, began their trip on September 14.

They are believed to have been midway through a 300-mile boat trip from Haridwar to Kanpur when they were attacked in Pandarak.

Two men were arrested by police in the city of Patna a few hours after the incident.

Senior superintendent of police Manu Mahara said: "Both the accused were traced and arrested from near the banks of the Ganges last night."