LONDON: Footage circulating online appears to show the violent arrest with a dog-catching pole of an Iranian woman accused of breaking morality laws.

The footage shows the unidentified woman being pulled violently by her hair through the streets of Tehran, ensnared by the catchpole, before being bundled into a 鈥渕orality police鈥� van.

Two men and a woman are seen forcing her into the van as she tries to resist. The victim鈥檚 head is smashed into the roof of the van as she is pushed inside.

Masih Alinejad, a prominent Iranian women鈥檚 rights campaigner who uploaded the footage, said the woman was arrested for failing to wear a head covering, which is mandatory for women in the country. 鈥淯nveiled women (are accused) of prostitution or creating moral corruption,鈥� she tweeted.

Tehran鈥檚 police chief said the woman was arrested for being 鈥渋nsulting and aggressive,鈥� but Alinejad said police often 鈥渕ake up other charges鈥� against women who breach morality laws.

Police told Iranian media that further charges had been brought by a local shop owner, but they did not disclose what charges or by whom.

Tehran鈥檚 police also did not say whether the woman was injured during the arrest, but pledged to investigate the footage.

Alinejad said it is a 鈥渂ig lie鈥� that officers will be held accountable for their actions. 鈥淟ast time when morality police savagely beat women, police showed the same reaction,鈥� she added. 鈥淏ut as soon as the atmosphere calmed down, they prosecuted the woman who filmed it.鈥�

Rights groups have long criticized Iran鈥檚 treatment of women in Iran, who face discrimination across a host of areas.