A 19-year-old college student, who was allegedly assaulted by a group of persons near Malumichampatti on Monday, died while undergoing treatment.The police said the incident was linked to an earlier assault at a rented house in Poonga Nagar, Othakkalmandapam, around 5.30 a.m. A group allegedly entered the house where Elavarasan (18), a second-year Civil Engineering student, was staying with friends, assaulted the occupants and took away a mobile phone. A case was registered at Chettipalayam police station based on Elavarasan’s complaint.During the investigation, police identified Amuthan (19) as one of those allegedly involved. Around 8.30 a.m., Amuthan and his friend Sriman (19) were intercepted near Malumichampatti by a group allegedly connected with the earlier incident. The two were taken to a ground behind a private college and assaulted.Amuthan returned to his room around 10 a.m. but developed breathing difficulty at about 3 p.m. He was taken to a hospital, where he died while undergoing treatment.Based on Sriman’s complaint, police registered a murder case and secured five college students for questioning on Tuesday. Efforts are on to identify others involved.The police said preliminary investigation indicated that the assault on Amuthan was allegedly in retaliation for his involvement in the earlier incident. The investigation also revealed that Amuthan had been suspended from the college hostel the previous month following an alleged assault on a hostel cook.Further investigation is on. Published - August 11, 2026 07:08 pm IST