CHENNAI: Four persons were arrested by the city police for the brutal murder of a history-sheeter in Vyasarpadi on Sunday night.

The deceased, J Raj alias Thondai Raj, was arrested in a criminal case early this year and had come out on bail around a month ago. Raj is an A+ category rowdy and has around a dozen criminal cases against him, including a couple of murder cases, according to the police.

The arrested persons were identified as R Surya (27), D Shriram (25), V Ajith (25) and D Murugan (28).

Raj was living in Manali. On Sunday, he had come to a relative's house in Vyasarpadi to celebrate Easter, the probe revealed. Around 6.30 pm, Raj was walking along SM Nagar 4th Street when he was intercepted by the gang, who attacked him with weapons.

Passer-by rescued Raj and moved him to the Government Stanley hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. Vyasarpadi Police registered a case of murder and moved his body for post-mortem examination.

The probe revealed that the murder was an act of revenge. In 2020, Thondai Raj had allegedly murdered the main accused, Surya's father in Vyasarpadi.

Surya, who was plotting revenge for his father's death, took the help of his friends and executed the plan on Sunday night.

A special team apprehended the accused during the early hours of Monday. Police said that Surya broke his hands and legs while attempting to escape from the police. His associates suffered injuries too.