In another horrific incident of honor killing, a couple have been murdered in the northern Indian state of Haryana late Wednesday evening by the girl's family for eloping and then returning to seek permission to marry, a senior police official said Thursday.

"The girl was lynched while her male lover beheaded by the girl 's family members hours after they returned to their village in Rohtak district, hoping that their families would finally allow them to marry. Four people, including the girl's father, uncle and two others, have been arrested for the crime," he said.

The couple -- 20-year-old Nidhi Barak and her 23-year-old lover Dharmendra Barak -- eloped to the Indian capital Tuesday and returned to Gharnavati village to seek permission to get married.

A probe has been ordered into the incident, the official added.

Honor killings are common in northern India where parents often kill their children for going for inter-caste marriages.