CHENNAI: A day after the death of a contract worker while clearing sewage from a drain in Avadi, Avadi City Police arrested two persons including the owner of a firm contracted by the civic body for sewage clearing works.

On Sunday, Gopinath along with three other contract workers were engaged to clear blocks in underground sewage drain on Kurinji Street, Saraswathi Nagar when the incident happened.

Police sources said that the workers went to the spot with the Jet rodding machine (sewer cleaning machine). Preliminary investigations revealed that Gopinath was setting up the pipe into the drain when he swooned inside. His co-workers alerted the authorities after which personnel from the TNFRS (Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services) reached the scene and secured Gopinath from the drain. He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared as brought dead.

Based on his family's complaint, Police arrested B Ravi (50), proprietor of VB associates and C Anand Babu (32), a supervisor at the firm on charges of negligence leading to death.