COIMBATORE: Four people, including a Tasmac bar owner and his partner, were arrested on Monday for beating a bar employee to death after he allegedly stole the wallet from a customer.
The deceased was identified as K Manikandan (35) from Ayya Kovil in Mavuthampathi village near Navakkarai. He was working as supplier in the bar attached to the Tasmac shop at Walayar for the last two months. On Saturday, he did not return home.
On Sunday evening, his wife M Vijaya (32) was informed that Manikandan was admitted in hospital at Sundarapuram with head injuries. Based on her complaint KG Chavadi police held inquiries which revealed Manikandan was on duty at the bar, and had allegedly stolen the wallet of a customer when he was in an inebriated state.
An hour later, the customer returned to the bar and informed the bar owner that his wallet had gone missing. Immediately the bar owner R Rathish (31) and his partner A Stanley Benedict (33) and their friends C Kannan (35) checked CCTV visuals of the bar and found Manikandan stealing the wallet, and questioned Manikandan.
He then returned the wallet. But the customer claimed that Rs 1,000 was missing from the wallet. When they asked Manikandan again, he took to his heels but was caught in a farm land near Walayar Dam road and beaten up. The four then locked up Manikandan in the bar, police said.
On Sunday as his health deteriorated, the gang admitted him to the private hospital and told the hospital staff that they found him in front of the bar in an inebriated state. On Monday early morning Manikandan died and the body was referred to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH). In the preliminary medical examination, the doctors declared there was an injury on his head.
KG Chavadi police checked CCTV visuals from the bar and found the gang assaulting Manikandan. Following this, the four were arrested and remanded in custody.