CHENNAI: A 31-year-old man, a history-sheeter was hacked to death by a gang in an empty plot near Villivakkam police station on Sunday night.

The incident happened around 8 pm.

The deceased was identified as C Udhayakumar (31) of Ambedkar Nagar near Ayanavaram.

Police said that he is a 'B' category rowdy and has six cases against him.

Police sources said that Udhayakumar was drinking with two of his friends at an empty plot on Embar Naidu 2nd street in Villivakkam when a gang came in two wheelers and rounded up Udhayakumar and his friends.

On seeing the gang drawing weapons, Udhayakumar and his friends took to their heels, but the gang chased and caught Udhayakumar and rained blows on him. His friends who managed to escape alerted the police personnel who reached the scene and moved the heavily injured man to a hospital, where he succumbed later in the night.

Villivakkam Police registered a case of murder and have began investigations.

Police are probing Udhayakumar's friends who escaped the attack if they can identify the attackers.

Preliminary investigations have suggested that the murder was a retaliatory killing.

Udhayakumar was one of the main accused in the murder of another rowdy, Ranjith Kumar in Villivakkam two years ago, according to officials.