CHENNAI: A 42-year-old man was stabbed to death in a moving electric train by his cousin's brother - who is also his neighbour- over a domestic dispute at Athipattu near Chennai on Friday.

Government Railway Police (GRP) arrested the accused within hours of the murder.

The deceased was identified as V Murali (42).

The accused, S Ravindar (42) is his cousin.

The brothers lived in different portions of the same house in Gandhi Nagar, Athipattu in the neighbouring Tiruvallur district and there was a simmering dispute between them, police investigations revealed.

Ravindar occupies the portion on the ground floor while Murali stays on the first floor.

On Thursday, Ravindar had erected a cement sheet outside his house, for which Murali opposed. Both of them had arguments.

Overnight, Murali had destroyed the cement sheet which had irked Ravindar.

On Friday, he followed Murali when he left his home for work.

On seeing Murali board the suburban electric train at Athipattu railway station, Ravindar too boarded the train and picked up an argument with him in the moving train.

As their verbal duel escalated, Ravindar took a knife he was carrying and attacked Murali on his face and body, much to the shock of other passengers, who couldn't intervene as Ravindar was holding a knife.

When the train reached Athipattu Pudhunagar railway station, Ravindar deboarded and took to his heels.

Other passengers moved the heavily injured Murali to a hospital where he was declared brought dead.

GRP recovered his body and moved it to a government hospital for post-mortem.

A special team secured the accused Ravindar. He was produced before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody.