A 22-year-old fish vendor was hacked to death by his friend in a drunken brawl in Maduravoyal on Saturday night.

According to police, the victim Arun alias Benny, was a resident of MGR Street in Maduravoyal. He was a fish vendor in the Vanagaram Market and was newly married. His friend, Parthiban (24) is also a fish vendor in the same market.

Arun and Parthiban used to drink occasionally after work. On Saturday, around 9 p.m., they went to a bar in Lakshmipuram. An argument broke out between them over a trivial issue and they began fighting. When others at the bar intervened, they stopped.

However, on the way back home, they started fighting again. “Parthiban took out a knife he used to cut fish and attacked Arun,” said a police source. Passers-by rushed Arun to a hospital where he was declared dead,” he added.

Parthiban fled the spot and is absconding. A search is on, police said.

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