CHENNAI: A 30-year-old mechanic was arrested on Friday on charges of killing his friend by stuffing sand into his mouth during a drunken brawl near Avadi on September 20.
The victim, Vasanthakumar (45), a tailor from Kannapalayam, was found dead on the banks of the village irrigation tank the following day. Avadi police initially registered a case of suspicious death and sent his body to Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital for postmortem.
The discovery of sand stuffed into his mouth during the postmortem led police to question his friend Madan. According to the police, the two had been drinking on the tank bund when an argument broke out. They frequently quarrelled over petty issues, police said.
Madan allegedly stuffed sand into Vasanthakumar’s mouth and left. Vasanthakumar, who police said was heavily intoxicated, suffocated.
Police altered the case to murder and arrested Madan. He was remanded in judicial custody at Puzhal prison.