CHENNAI: A traffic police constable and a grocery shop employee were arrested on Thursday for allegedly assaulting a 24-year-old migrant worker from Uttar Pradesh, who later died at Selaiyanur near Sriperumbudur in Kancheepuram district.
The suspects have been identified as S Gnanamoorthy (33), a constable attached to the Guduvanchery traffic police, and A Arif (26), who works at a grocery shop. Sources said the case against the two was altered to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and they were later remanded in judicial custody.
The deceased, Sailesh Kumar of Ghazipur district, along with eight others, arrived at Sriperumbudur SIPCOT on October 5 and secured jobs at a canteen and rented a portion of a large tiled-roof house owned by Gnanamoorthy. The shop where Arif works operates from the front portion of the same house, while the side portion was let out to the workers.
Police said Sailesh, allegedly drunk, went to the shop on Tuesday night and asked for paan masala. When Arif said it was not available, an argument broke out, and Sailesh and three of his co-workers allegedly manhandled Arif. Arif then informed Gnanamoorthy about the incident, and the two decided to ask the workers to vacate.
When they entered the room, they found Sailesh lying on the floor drunk. Police said Gnanamoorthy and Arif kicked him while forcing the occupants out. The company’s in-charge subsequently escorted the workers away. Though Sailesh needed help, he left the premises on foot.
Sailesh was found dead in the rented portion on Wednesday morning. Sriperumbudur police initially registered a case of unnatural death and sent the body to Kancheepuram Government Hospital for postmortem, which revealed a liver injury and internal haemorrhage.
Based on the autopsy findings and evidence gathered during the probe, the police concluded that the injuries from the assault caused his death.
