CHENNAI: A 50 year old fisherman was murdered near Ernavoor Tsunami quarters on Saturday night after he allegedly passed insulting remarks at a woman in an inebriated state. The deceased was identified as Kanagaraj.

Police have arrested the woman’s husband, Jayabal, also a fisherman.

Both the accused and the victim were residents of the same neighbourhood. On Saturday evening, Kanagaraj was drinking in one of the bylanes when Jayabal’s wife walked past him.

Kanagaraj allegedly made insulting remarks at the woman after which the woman argued with him. The woman then went home and informed her husband who came to the scene where Kanagaraj was drinking, police said.

The men engaged in a verbal duel which soon escalated into fisticuffs. In the melee, Jayabal took an iron rod nearby and smashed it across Kanagaraj’s head.

Kanagaraj swooned to the ground with blood injuries after which onlookers rushed to his aid and moved him to a hospital nearby where he was declared dead on arrival.

Ennore Police registered a case and moved Kanagaraj’s body to a government hospital for post mortem. Jayabal was arrested and remanded to judicial custody.