R Ranjith was a mechatronics student at the Government ITI for Men in Guindy and a resident of Appu Street in Nungambakkam. The incident took place when Ranjith was returning after a birthday party at a friend’s house in Minjur.

Police on combing the CCTV footage from the locality said he was intercepted by a bike-borne duo near Kannagi statue on Tank Bund Road and was stabbed on his throat. However, the identity of the duo is yet to be established as their faces are not clear in the footage.

The CCTV footage also showed Ranjith relieving himself from the clutches of his attackers and trying to flee.

But he fell unconscious a few metres away from his house.

According to Ranjith’s mother Saraswathi, he called her around 11.40 pm after boarding the last EMU train at Beach railway station. But since he failed to reach after 30 minutes, she called him again.

But his phone went unanswered. On suspicion, she went along with her brother Janakiraman in search of Ranjith and was shocked to see him lying on the road with stab injuries on his neck.

They immediately alerted the ambulance, but Ranjith was declared brought dead on arrival at the KMC hospital.

Saraswathi, who works in a marketing firm, lost her husband Ramesh just two months ago. Now, the murder of her son has come as a big blow to her. “I don’t even know the reason behind my son’s murder. He was not wearing any gold and his mobile phone was also with him,” said Saraswathi, who also has a daughter, Pavithra, a college student.

Police said that it did not look like a murder for gain and added that they have been enquiring his friends from the locality as well as from the institution.