CHENNAI: A 21-year-old youth, a history-sheeter, was stabbed to death and thrown into the Retteri lake on Wednesday night. Police recovered his body on Thursday and arrested the attacker.

The deceased was identified as R Karthik, a resident of Kolathur, who had multiple criminal cases pending against him at Rajamangalam and Kolathur police stations. He was working as a painter.

On Thursday morning, passersby found his body floating in the water and alerted the police control room, after which a team from Puzhal police station retrieved the body and sent it to Government Stanley Hospital for a post-mortem.

Police recovered a blood-stained liquor bottle near the spot where the body was found and initiated investigations. Inquiries with Karthik’s acquaintances revealed that he had recently quarrelled with his friend, identified as Vicky alias Vignesh (25), after breaking Vicky’s mobile phone during an argument.

Police detained Vicky for questioning, during which he confessed to the murder. The probe revealed that both were drinking on the lakebed when another quarrel erupted, and Vicky struck him repeatedly with the liquor bottle until he fainted.

Vicky then dragged Karthik into the lake and drowned him before fleeing the scene. Police said that Vignesh is also a history-sheeter. He was produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.