MADURAI: A day after the assault on M Chinnadurai (18), a Dalit youth, in Tirunelveli, three suspects were held and are being interrogated in connection with the case.

Earlier, the victim, a first-year college student, had left home, informing his mother of meeting his friend at Palayamkottai on Wednesday evening when the incident occurred.

Chinnadurai called her mother at around 7.30 pm, and said that some unidentified persons had attacked him near the District Science Centre in Tirunelveli.

On being alerted, the police rushed to the spot, rescued the victim found injured on his right arm and took him to the Government Medical College Hospital. Palayamkottai police filed a case, sources revealed.

Tirunelveli Commissioner of Police Santosh Hadimani, when contacted on Thursday, said three special teams were formed to nab the accused, who remain absconding.

After inquiring, the victim said that based on a call from his Instagram friend, he reached out to the Vasantham Nagar extension area, where four unidentified persons demanded money from him.

As he had no money, the gang attacked him with a stick and snatched his phone before fleeing the scene.

When the police asked the victim for his Instagram username and password, he informed the police that he forgot it. He even forgot his email address and password when asked for it as part of the investigation. The victim got treated for a minor injury and was discharged from the hospital, sources said.