COIMBATORE: Five persons were arrested on Tuesday for stabbing a construction worker to death in a dispute over returning Rs 150 in Salem.

According to police, Kamalakannan (33), from Pethanaickenpalayam in Salem, had borrowed Rs 150 from Subramani (22), a construction worker from the same village.

As Kamalakannan failed to return the money, Subramani broke into frequent quarrels with him. In a further fallout of the issue, Kamalakannan, along with his friends Alex Pandian (25), Arun Pandian (24), Karthick (27) and Periasamy (25) thrashed Subramani after tying his hands and legs.

They also stabbed him with a knife in the stomach. As Subramani fainted by bleeding profusely, some villagers rushed him to the government hospital in Pethanaickenpalayam, however, he died on the way.