3 men kill friend for snatching phone, surrender

TIRUVALLUR: A 28-year-old man was killed by his friends in Tiruvallur on Sunday after he took his friend’s mobile phone and refused to return it. The three accused of murder initially escaped but later surrendered before the police. The victim, identified as Santosh Kumar, a resident of Ettiamman Koil Street in Gundumedu, was pursuing a history degree. On Sunday night, he joined his friends Gowtham (25), Karuppu Muthu (27) and Vellai Muthu (27) and had drinks when an argument broke out between them. In a fit of rage, Santosh allegedly snatched Gowtham’s expensive mobile phone worth Rs 30,000 and went home. Infuriated by this, Gowtham, smashed the victim’s head with granite stone.