A 20-year-old youth was murdered by his three friends in a drunken brawl a few days ago and police registered a case and arrested the trio on Tuesday. Police said that Balamurugan (20) son of Sunderarajan of Perumugai near Vellore went out on October 28 and did not return. His parents complained to Sathuvachary police. On suspicion, police interrogated Balamurugan’s three friends Jagatheeswaran (19), Madhivanan (18) and a 17-year-old juvenile who then confessed to murdering Balamurugan in a drunken brawl. When Balamurugan fainted the trio thought they had killed him and so they used a crowbar to hit and dig a pit in which they buried him and left. Police exhumed Balamurugan’s body later.