Employees of the plastic manufacturing unit assaulted Manimaran of Nallur panchayat near Chengalpet with rods before dumping his body in a nearby canal

CHENNAI: A 26-year-old ragpicker was tied to an iron pole and beaten to death by workers at a private plastic chair manufacturing unit near Red Hills late on Thursday night after being caught stealing scrap material, police said.Employees of the plastic manufacturing unit assaulted Manimaran of Nallur panchayat near Chengalpet with rods before dumping his body in a nearby canal, police said.Manimaran’s relatives, who noticed him missing on Friday morning, went in search of him and located his body in the canal. They besieged the company and held a protest outside the facility, demanding the arrest of those involved. Police said that Manimaran used to collect plastic bottles around local factories. He got married a few years ago but later separated and was living with his relatives.Ten days ago, Manimaran was caught stealing at the same company, but workers had let him go with a warning.On Thursday night, some workers on night duty heard unusual noises and, upon checking, found him picking up iron rods. They dragged him, tied him to a pole outside the company and attacked him. Manimaran is said to have bled to death from his injuries.Later that night, the workers dumped his body in a nearby canal and fled the scene. His relatives came to know about the attack when one of the workers shared the photo of him being tied to a pole and beaten up, which went viral.Upon receiving information, the Red Hills police recovered the body and sent it for postmortem examination to Govt Stanley Medical College Hospital. A case has been registered.Police have booked Kalilul Rehman, the owner, and Syed Farooq, one of the workers, on charges of murder. Further probe is on.