CHENNAI: A 28-year-old man was murdered by his friend during a drunken brawl in Kancheepuram on Friday night (July 3).

The deceased was identified as Ayyar alias Manikandan (28) of Koothrambakkam village in Kancheepuram. The police said Manikandan was a close friend of Arulmani (29), who is a resident of nearby Karai village.

They were unemployed and had a habit of collecting small amounts of money from people visiting TASMAC outlets to buy liquor.

On Friday night, the two were consuming alcohol near the Semandhangal lake bed near Karai village when a quarrel broke out over the sharing of liquor. The argument soon escalated into a physical altercation.

In a fit of rage, Arulmani pushed Manikandan's head into a muddy puddle and held him down, causing him to suffocate to death. He then fled the spot.

Later in the night, villagers noticed a body lying in the slush with its head submerged and alerted the Ponnerikarai police.

The police rushed to the spot, recovered the body and sent it to the Chengalpattu Government Hospital for post-mortem examination. A case has been registered, and Arulmani was arrested, and further investigation is on.