Malappuram: Eight people were arrested in connection with the murder of a guest worker at Kizhissery on Sunday.

Rajesh Manji (36) from Madhavpur in Bihar was beaten to death over suspicion of theft, police said.

The accused captured Manji from the premises of a house along the Kizhissery-Thavanur road at 1am on Saturday. The police received information about the incident at 3.25am.

The cops found Manji lying on the wayside with serious injuries when they arrived at the scene. Though rushed to the Medical College hospital, he succumbed to the injuries before receiving medical aid.

The autopsy report revealed Manji died due to the injuries sustained on his body.

"The accused tied the victim's hands and assaulted him using sticks and plastic pipes. We have obtained evidence, including photographs, from the phones of the accused. They tried to destroy evidence, including the CCTV footage," Malappuram district police chief Sujit Das said.

Police had taken nine persons into custody in connection with the case. The accused reportedly confessed to assaulting Rajesh for almost two hours after tying him up.

Initially, the accused claimed that Manji died after falling off the terrace of a building. However, the post-mortem revealed broken bones and bruises on Manji's body, possibly from assault.