CHENNAI: Devan (45), a mason from Tiruvannamalai, died after being attacked following the sexual assault of a woman who was sleeping on a pavement near the Parthasarathy Temple in Triplicane on Thursday night.

Authorities arrested Rafiq, a 40-year-old painter from Tiruvannamalai, for the murder.

According to the Ice House police, Devan assaulted the woman while she was asleep on the footpath. Witnesses who noticed the incident confronted him.

During the ensuing altercation, Devan was hit on the head with a stone, leaving him in a pool of blood.

He was rushed to GH in Royapettah but was declared dead on arrival. Police arrested Rafiq and remanded him to Puzhal prison.