Man beaten to death by friends in drunken brawl in Thiruvananthapuram

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 39-year-old daily wage worker was beaten to death after he had an argument with his friends while consuming alcohol at Kattela near Sreekaryam on Saturday night.
Police have arrested Vinod (35) and Ratheesh (27) in connection with the murder of Saju (39), son of Soman at Chandrika Bhavanam at Ambady Nagar in Kattela.
According to police, the incident took place near Kattela Holy Trinity School. Saju and the accused were long-time friends and used to drink together.
The accused told police that Saju abused them while drinking and it led to a clash between them. They took his mobile phone and went away in an autorickshaw. Saju, who had reached home, went back again to get his mobile. He managed to locate them and after a heated exchange, they came to blows.
Saju fell unconscious on the road after he was hit on the head with wooden planks and stones. The accused left him on the road and the passers-by did not attend to him under the impression that he was drunk. Later, he was taken to the medical college hospital by police but was declared dead by doctors.
Sreekaryam police have registered a case against the accused under Section 302 of IPC for murder and they were remanded after they were produced before a court.