Salem: A drunken brawl took an ugly turn on Friday night when two men set their differently abled friend ablaze near Omalur here. The victim succumbed to the burns at the government hospital in Omalur on Saturday afternoon.
The deceased was identified as K Karthik, of Chinna Pagalpatty near Omalur. He was a tailor with a private company of the same locality.
The incident came to light after passersby spotted Karthik battling for life and alerted the Omalur police, who took him to the local government hospital and recorded his dying declaration.
According to the Omalur police, Karthik had given Rs10,000 to his two friends, who were working with him at the private company. "But, they did not return the amount as promised," the police said. Karthik, however, kept asking them to return the money.
On Friday evening, Karthik asked the duo to return his money. The two asked him to join them for a drink and promised to pay back the amount after that. Karthik accepted this and joined them for drinks at Sivan Koil temple area.
"After consuming alcohol, the duo allegedly set Karthik ablaze and fled," the police said. Karthik, they added, received about 60% burn injuries. He died in the hospital on Saturday without responding to the treatment.
The police have registered a case and launched a manhunt for the duo, who are on the run.
