The Negamam police in Coimbatore district on Wednesday arrested a 34-year-old man on charges of beating his brother’s friend to death on Tuesday evening.
K. Sakthivel (34), a resident of Perumpathy at Zamin Kaliyapuram near Pollachi, was arrested for murdering P. Karuppusamy (50) from Valasupalayam near Kinathukadavu, police said.
According to the police, Karuppasamy and Sakthivel’s brother Ramkumar (24) were friends and they used to consume alcohol together.
Ramkumar has been working as a tractor driver for a farm owner named Nataraj at Valasupalayam. He often failed to report for work due to his addiction to alcohol, said the police. Sakthivel, a driver by occupation, came to Valasupalayam around 7.30 p.m. on Tuesday and scolded Ramkumar for his alcoholism. He also beat Ramkumar with a broom.
“Karuppusamy who was with Ramkumar intervened in the quarrel and bit Sakthivel while trying to push him. Sakthivel picked up a wooden log and assaulted Karuppusamy repeatedly until he became unconscious,” said a police officer quoting the statement given by Ramkumar.
An injured Karuppusamy was initially taken to the Government Hospital at Pollachi from where doctors referred him to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH). Karuppusamy, however, died while being taken to CMCH, said the police.
