The bodies of two persons were recovered from a house on Goods Shed road here on Tuesday.
Police sources told The Hindu that the deceased were identified as B. Dastagir (27) caretaker of the house which was allegedly being run as a lodge without a license and his friend A. Ayaz (20).
The police had been informed by Mahendran, a tourist guide who was running the lodge.
Stating that they had been beaten to death, the sources said that the whereabouts of five persons who were staying there since Sunday are not known.
Finger prints were lifted and a sniffer dog was brought to assist the investigating team led by the Deputy Superintendent of Police Anita.
Among those who visited the scene of crime were the Superintendent of Police, S. Nizamuddin and the Additional Superintendent of Police Kasi Viswanathan.
Stating that the team was looking into various angles, Mr. Nizamuddin said there was evidence of a drunken brawl. However since the crime had taken place in an illegal lodge, there were no records pertaining to the guests.
He lamented that despite repeated warnings the racket involving use of houses to accommodate tourists was flourishing.
Stating that a crackdown on such joints has been ordered, he said that the police can only raid such places. It is up to the authorities concerned to prevent them from functioning.
