CHENNAI: The police have detained a guest worker on suspicion after his co-worker from Uttar Pradesh was found dead at a construction site in Purasawalkam on Monday.

The deceased, Sayil (42), was working as a painter at a three-storey under-construction building on Muthu Gramiya Street in Purasawalkam.

On Monday morning, a worker who came to the site found Sayil lying unconscious with blood injuries and alerted other workers. Vepery police reached the scene and recovered the body, and sent it to the Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital for post-mortem.

Initial inquiries indicated that Sayil was attacked with a wooden log. A probe revealed that there was an argument between Sayil and Ram Dayal, also a guest worker.

The police traced Ram Dayal to the Chennai Central railway station, where he was waiting to board a train to return to his hometown. Further investigations are under way.