CHENNAI: A 17-year-old boy was beaten to death by a gang which suspected him of stealing a pig from their farm in Manali on Friday evening. According to sources, the deceased, S Sanjay (17), was from Jeyalakshmi Salai in Chinna Mathur near Manali. He was a school dropout and doing menial jobs. His parents Shankar (45) and Devi (43) are daily wage labourers.
Police said the accused, Dharma (27) and Babu (24), are brothers and own a pig farm on Ethiyappan Street in Manali. On Friday morning, the two brothers and four others came to Sanjay’s house and picked an argument with Shankar. They forcibly took away Sanjay and his friend Dilli.
Based on a complaint from the family, police registered a case and began investigation. The youth’s relatives staged a protest in front of the police station in the evening seeking quick action. Meanwhile, Dilli returned home around 8pm.
Police said Dharma and Babu had kidnapped Sanjay on suspicion that he had stolen a pig from their farm. However, they let Dilli go after a warning. Police nabbed Dharma’s brother-in-law Ajith who revealed that the accused had taken Sanjay to Dharma’s house on Ethiyappan Street and beat him to death with a crowbar. The accused had then dumped the body in a canal near Harikrishna Puram lake.
Police are searching for the body. The police detained four people and have launched a hunt for the suspects.