CHENNAI: The police have arrested three men in connection with the death of a 30-year-old load van driver, who was fatally assaulted on Broadway, officially known as Prakasam Salai, early Wednesday morning. The incident occurred after a drunken argument sparked when the deceased urinated from an auto-rickshaw, accidentally splashing it on a woman passing by.
The suspects have been identified as Mohamed Patha (19), Abdul Bashith (24), and Abdul Baheen (25). Authorities located the trio using CCTV footage from the area. They were produced before a magistrate on Friday and subsequently remanded to judicial custody.
The deceased, Kalaiselvan, was a resident of Pallavan Salai in Triplicane and originally from Anniyaur village near Vikravandi in Villupuram district. He worked as a load van driver and was affiliated with the VCK Trade Union. He was unmarried.
According to police, the incident took place in the early hours of Wednesday when Kalaiselvan and his friend Balaji, both allegedly in an inebriated state, were travelling in an auto-rickshaw along Prakasam Salai. During the ride, Kalaiselvan urinated from the vehicle, and the urine fell on a woman who was walking nearby. When the woman objected, an argument broke out between her and the two men.
Witnesses at the scene intervened in support of the woman, leading to a confrontation. The situation escalated when Kalaiselvan and Balaji allegedly used abusive language, provoking the group, who then attacked them. Kalaiselvan was beaten to death in the incident.