Worker killed for failing to turn up after taking money

CHENNAI: Kancheepuram district police have arrested a 24-year-old mason and his accomplice for the allleged murder of a construction worker, who took Rs 10,000 advance from the mason and did not turn up for work.

The deceased, Sekar (45) of Chettikulam, had taken an advance of Rs 10,000 from mason D Murali of Thiruparankundram in January, police investigations revealed.

However, after working for a couple of months, Sekar deserted the construction site with his family without informing the mason.

Recently, Murali located Sekar at another construction site and asked him to return the money he took as advance. On September 12, the mason called Sekar for a drinking session to a secluded area in Kilkathirpur where Murali’s friend, Arul, a construction worker, also joined them.

After getting drunk, Murali confronted Sekar about the money and in a fit of rage, beat him to death. They fled the scene abandoning his body there.

The next day, police received information about a dead body and moved it to government hospital for autopsy. Meanwhile, Sekar’s wife, after failing to contact him, filed a complaint with the Shiva Kanchi police station. She was taken to the mortuary, where she identified the body as that of her husband. Subsequently, police arrested Murali and his friend, Arul, on murder charges. They were produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.