CHENNAI: A 29-year-old man from the Narikuravar community, selling balloons and beads in electric trains with his family, was killed on the platform of Putlur railway station in Tiruvallur district on Tuesday night.

The deceased was identified as S Karthik (28). The Government Railway Police arrested the accused on Wednesday near Chennai Beach station.

Karthik lived with his wife, Indira, under the flyover near Putlur station. The couple earned a living by selling beads and balloons in electric trains, police said.

Because of the rains, they slept on the platforms in Putlur railway station. On Tuesday night, Karthik had an argument with S Tamilarasan (29), which ended in murder.

Tamilarasan was hurling profanities at passengers who alighted from a train as some allegedly stamped on his bedsheets by mistake. Karthik asked him to calm down, which led to an argument. In the melee, Tamilarasan took a broken bottle and slashed it across Karthik’s neck. Seeing blood, Tamilarasan took his wife and boarded the electric train to Chennai.

Karthik was declared brought dead in a hospital. Tamilarasan was arrested near the Beach station.