4 Chennai teens detained for migrant labour attack

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu police have detained four 17-year-old school dropouts for hacking a 20-year-old migrant worker from Odisha with sickles near abandoned railway quarters in Tiruttani, a temple town on Chennai's northwestern fringe, after filming the assault to post as a social media reel.

The victim, K Suraj, recently arrived in Chennai following a family dispute and had been surviving on menial jobs, police said Monday.

The attack unfolded Saturday evening aboard a Chennai-Tiruttani EMU local train. At Thiruvalangadu station, about 70km northwest of Chennai, the four juveniles boarded Suraj's compartment, allegedly drunk & carrying two sickles concealed in bags. Investigators said they planned to use the weapons while recording content for social media.

A brief exchange in Hindi escalated into an argument that continued until the train reached Tiruttani station, around 90km from Chennai. After disembarking, the youths allegedly forced Suraj towards the railway quarters near the tracks. Three attacked him with sickles, with one flashing a "victory sign", while a fourth recorded the assault on a mobile phone, police said.

Suraj suffered deep cut wounds. Bleeding heavily, he staggered to a nearby road, where passers-by alerted railway police. He was taken to Tiruttani govt hospital and later referred to Tiruvallur Govt Medical College Hospital, where doctors said his condition was stable. Police traced the suspects using the video uploaded to Instagram, locating them later that night near Gangai Amman temple along the Tiruttani-Arakkonam bypass, a highway stretch on the town's outskirts, where they were allegedly drinking.

Produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, three were sent to a govt observation home. The fourth, described as differently abled, was released to his parents with a warning.
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