Chennai: A former rowdy who kept himself away from criminal activities for the past few years was brutally hacked to death at Anna Nagar here.
According to the police, Santhanam (36) was formerly associated with several rowdies in the area. He was an aide of gangster Arumbakkam Radhakrishnan five years ago and faced cases of murder and attempted murder.
However, he reformed himself in the past few years and was working as a painter. He lived in Annai Sathya Nagar with his wife Sudha and son Parveen (13).
Last night, while he was returning to his house, a gang stopped him, sprinkled chilly powder on his face and hacked him with sickles. He succumbed to injuries.
Police took one Sathish Kumar (22) into custody in connection with the murder. Two brothers Chinna Robert and Joseph are the main persons behind the murder, police said. A special team formed by Assistant Commissioner Gunasekar is investigating the case.