CHENNAI: A 17-year-old youth was beaten to death by a man near Royapettah on Deepavali night.
Police have identified the deceased as S Shyam. A school dropout, Shyam was assisting his parents at a printing press where they work.
On Thursday night, Shyam and his friends were walking in their neighbourhood when the incident happened. According to a probe by the Ice House police, a man who was part of a group walked up to Shyam and then beat him up, causing the youth to fall to the ground. The man then fled the scene. Shyam's friends rushed him to the Government Royapettah Hospital (GRH) where he was declared as brought dead.
On information, Ice House police came to the hospital, conducted enquiries with the eyewitnesses, and registered a case of murder.
Preliminary investigations have suggested that previous enmity had led to the murder.
Based on inputs from the deceased's friends, police have started to search for the attacker.