Man tonsured and branded with iron box in front of wife, mom: 6 arrested

The victim, who lives on KH Road at Nammalwarpet, plays percussion instrument for funerals in the locality. He was slapped by his neighbour Devaraj, a painter by profession, two weeks ago as the former was allegedly creating a ruckus in the neighbourhood under the influence of alcohol. However, a few days later, Vasanthakumar attacked Devaraj with a wooden log and he suffered injuries.

The police said that Devaraj’s sons — Arunraj (20) and Vimalraj (19) — were infuriated over the assault and were waiting for an opportunity for revenge.

Meanwhile, Vasanthakumar’s mother reportedly yelled at her son that he should not have attacked Devaraj as he was much elder. While she asked him to apologise to Devaraj in person, she and Vasanthakumar’s wife accompanied him to Devaraj’s house on February 4.

However, to their shock, Devaraj’s sons refused to accept his apology and tied Vasanthakumar’s hands and legs before tonsuring his head. “They also burnt his hands and legs with an iron box. They also stabbed him with knives with the help of two other friends,” the police said.

However, Vasanthakumar’s family decided to not lodge a complaint. But the Secretariat Colony police, who came to know about the incident, visited Vasanthakumar’s house and recorded his statement. Based on that, a case was registered and all six accused were arrested.

They were identified as S Devaraj (48), his wife Elizabeth (44), their sons Arunraj and Vimalraj and their friends W Prasanth (19) and M Daniel (19). They were remanded in judicial custody on Monday. Vasanthakumar has been admitted to Kilpauk Medical College Hospital for treatment.