CHENNAI: A police constable, who was on night patrol in St Thomas Mount on Sunday night, was allegedly assaulted by three men, who fled the scene after more personnel arrived.

Raja (34), a crime branch constable attached to the St Thomas Mount police station, was on night patrol on Deepavali when he spotted three men sitting in a dark area at Ambedkar Nagar in Nazarethpuram around 11.30 pm.

Growing suspicious, Raja asked them why they were sitting there late at night and advised them to return home. However, the trio, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, picked an argument with him, claiming that it was their locality and they could sit wherever they wanted for as long as they wished.

When Raja identified himself as a policeman, the three men allegedly pushed him off his two-wheeler and assaulted him.

Raja alerted his senior officers, following which additional personnel rushed to the spot. However, the suspects had escaped by then.

The police have identified one of the suspects as Satheesh, a resident of the same locality. The other two are reportedly his friends. A search is under way to trace all three.