Man with disabilities murdered; body found dumped in septic tank near Puzhal

A disabled man was murdered and found in a septic tank; police arrested two suspects in Chennai.

In a shocking incident, a youth with disabilities was reportedly murdered near Putlur in Tiruvallur district in December 2025, and his body, tied with a rope, was found dumped in a septic tank near Puzhal, Chennai, recently. The police have arrested two suspects.

The victim, Mahendran, 26, who was deaf and had a speech impairment, worked at a textile firm at Padi, Chennai. He was a native of Tenkasi district. The police said Mahendran and one of the suspects identified as Lawrence, who is also disabled, worked at the same firm.

Mahendran frequently visited and stayed at Lawrence’s house in Putlur, but wary of Mahendran’s interactions with his wife, Lawrence warned him not to visit anymore.

Lawrence, however, spotted him in the area once. According to the police, in December last year, Lawrence invited Mahendran to his place and they consumed alcohol, along with another friend of Lawrence, Devendran, in Putlur. The police said that after Mahendran was fully intoxicated, the duo smothered him to death.

Subsequently, a missing complaint was lodged at the Puzhal police station in Chennai. Based on the complaint, the police registered a case and conducted an investigation for over a month. A habeas corpus petition was filed in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to trace Mahendran.

During the probe, the police examined Mahendran’s mobile phone and questioned persons who were in contact with him, which revealed his interactions with Lawrence. The police initially questioned Lawrence and let him go. However, a detailed analysis of the call records showed that calls had been made to Mahendran’s number from Lawrence’s phone.