CHENNAI: In what is suspected to be a revenge murder, a gang of seven first-year college students, most of them minors, chased and hacked a 22-year-old youth in Mylapore on Monday night.

The deceased was identified as Sathyaseelan, a school drop-out who was working as an air-conditioner mechanic and lived in Velachery.

After the preliminary investigations, the police said Sathyaseelan grew up in Veerabadhran Street, Mylapore, where the murder happened. The family had shifted to Velachery four years ago. However, as he had childhood friends in the neighbourhood, the deceased used to visit Mylapore often.

On Monday night, Sathyaseelan was talking with a friend when a group surrounded them. Sensing trouble, he took to his heels, but the gang chased and attacked Sathyaseelan with weapons and fled the scene. Based on an alert, the police rushed to the scene and took the injured youth to a hospital, where he was declared as brought dead.

Special teams were formed to probe the murder. On Tuesday, the police arrested seven youth, all first-year students at a private arts and science college. Five of them are 17 years old, said officials.

The probe revealed that a clash broke out between Sathyaseelan and one of the accused when he visited his old neighbourhood last year. The youth had sustained severe injuries and swore revenge, said officials.

Of the arrested, two youths, Hitesh and Madan, were remanded in custody, while the minors were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) and sent to the government home for boys.