Chennai: A 9-year-old class 3 student who allegedly tried to steal guava fruits from a tree on private land on his way to school was beaten up and tied to the tree by the house owner on Monday. The incident happened on Nehru street in Madipakkam when the boy, a resident of Chola street, was heading to his school.

The house owner, Sargunam Isaac, a businessman saw the boy plucking fruits after sneaking into his premises, got furious and caught him. The boy was tied to the tree. Seeing this some neighbours informed police and a police team rushed to the spot. The boy was rescued. The boy and Sargunam Isaac were taken to the station.

When he came to know about the incident, the father of the boy also reached the station. When police suggested that he give a written complaint, the boy’s father hesitated saying that his son should not have tried to steal fruits. Later, police closed the case by issuing a strong warning to Sargunam Isaac.