The deceased, Sugu (62), lived on the sidewalk near the Santhome Church for the past 15 years and lived off the alms given by churchgoers and the public, police said.

On Monday night, when Sugu was sleeping on the footpath, a man tried to rob his bag containing cash. Sugu allegedly used a blade to slash the person who tried to snatch his bag. The person also retaliated by assaulting Sugu and fled the scene. A passerby noticed Sugu lying unconscious with injuries on Tuesday morning and alerted the Mylapore police. He was moved to Government Royapettah Hospital, where he was declared as brought dead, following which a murder case was registered.