CHENNAI: Three days after a 22-year-old man was hacked to death by his girlfriend’s family in front of her eyes in Puzhal, police arrested five people, including the woman’s husband. The arrested accused includes a cousin sister who held on to the woman while the others hacked him to death.

The victim, S Sudha Chandar, who was living with his girlfriend, Ragini (22), was hacked to death by a gang when they were riding a two-wheeler. Ragini was in a relationship with Chandar, but was forcibly married to Vasanth (25) from Oragadam three years ago. The couple has a toddler. Ragini left her husband after alleged physical torture and started to live with Chandar, her teenage sweetheart, in Puzhal.

The accused were identified as her husband Vasanth, cousins Bharath Robin (21) and Sushmitha (28), uncle Udhairaj (30), and Karthik (25), an autorickshaw driver.

In her complaint to the police, Ragini claimed that her mother, too, was present when the gang hacked Chandar to death. However, during investigation, the police found that while her mother knew about the plan, she was not physically present at the scene of crime. At the time of the attack, she was on a call with her son, sources said.

“The gang knocked down the vehicle. While Sushmitha held on to Ragini, the others hacked Chandar to death,” officials said. The family allegedly decided to kill Sudha Chandar, as they believed that Ragini’s abandonment was a matter of dishonour.