CHENNAI: Two men were arrested on Thursday for the death of a man who was allegedly assaulted by them at the Chennai Central Railway Station on June 2. The police said the deceased, who is yet to be identified, was caught when he tried to steal their bag when they were sleeping on platform 7 at the railway station. The man, who was undergoing treatment at a government hospital, died on June 5. His body has been sent for postmortem.
The arrested, Suraj (26) and Pradeep (23), both hailing from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, were arrested by the Chennai Central Government Railway Police (GRP) on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
According to the police, the accused were employed on contract as cleaning staff on Southern Railway express trains. Around 3 am on June 2, the man tried to steal one of their bags, the police said. However, the duo woke up and assaulted him, following which he fled the spot. At around 8 am, the local police were alerted by passersby about a man lying unconscious on Wall Tax Road.
The police sent him to a government hospital for treatment and started an inquiry. CCTV footage from the locality revealed the assault at the railway station. “The suspects were identified and traced by GRP. As the two duo were on duty aboard an express train, they were arrested only on Thursday. Based on inquiries, it was found that their intention was not to kill the person, so murder charges have not been invoked. The deceased person is yet to be identified,” a senior GRP officer said.