Man ‘beaten to death’ at de-addiction centre, seven held

CHENNAI: A 48-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death at a de-addiction centre in Royapettah on Monday and Anna Salai police arrested seven persons in connection with the murder. The deceased M Raji from Ambedkar Nagar was an automobile mechanic, said the police. He was admitted to Madras Care Centre, a de-addiction centre, since he was addicted to liquor. 

While he was discharged a few days ago, Raji’s wife Kala (47) found out that her husband had consumed liquor and was lying on the roadside on Monday and informed the centre.  “The de-addiction centre sent fellow inmates to pick up Raji.

After reaching the centre, Raji created a ruckus and the inmates and staff overpowered him and attacked him with wires and sticks. Raji, who became unconscious, was rushed to the Government Royapettah Hospital, where he was declared brought dead,” said Bhaskar, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Triplicane.  

Kala lodged a complaint with Anna Salai police. Since inquiries confirmed the assault, police registered a case of murder and arrested seven suspects identified as E Yuvaraj (26), D Selvamani (39), K Sathish (29), E Kesavan (42), M Saravanan (48), H Mohan (34) and H Parthasarathy (23). Police said Karthikeyan, who runs the de-addiction centre, is absconding with his wife, in whose name the centre has been registered. A hunt has been launched for the couple. 

The police moved the remaining 12 inmates to the Institute of Mental Health on Monday. Police said the centre has been functioning since 2022 and there were 20 inmates.

What happened
After reaching the centre, Raji allegedly created a ruckus, and the inmates and staff allegedly attacked him with wires and sticks