CHENNAI: A 27-year-old autorickshaw driver was allegedly beaten to death by his brother-in-law after an argument in Tondiarpet.

The deceased was identified as Ajay while the accused is his wife’s elder brother, Anbuselvan (31), police said.

Probe revealed that on Tuesday night, Ajay had fought with his wife, Priya, and in the melee, he had allegedly hit her. The incident happened around 10 pm. The couple lived with their two children at Nethaji Nagar, Tondiarpet.

When Priya informed her family, Anbuselvan, also an autorickshaw driver, came to the couple’s home and picked up a quarrel with Ajay. Both men exchanged blows and Anbuselvan slashed Ajay’s neck with a knife and fled the scene.

Anbuselvan eventually surrendered at the police station on his own, police sources said. Hearing the screams, Ajay’s neighbours rushed to his aid and moved him to a hospital where he was declared dead.

RK Nagar Police registered a case of murder and arrested Anbuselvan. He was produced before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody.