Malappuram: An auto-rickshaw driver died following an altercation with the employees of a bus at Othukkungal, near Kottakkal, in Malappuram district on Friday. The deceased is Abdul Latheef (49), a resident of Manoor near Kottakkal. The exact cause of death can only be determined after the autopsy, police said.

The bus driver allegedly manhandled Latheef for picking up a passenger at a bus stop in Vadakkemanna. The bus workers chased his auto-rickshaw, intercepted it, and beat him up. In the visuals aired on Manorama News, the bus driver can be seen beating up Latheef.

Latheef later reached Malappuram Taluk Hospital alone, where he collapsed and died. 

Following the incident, police took three bus workers into custody. The workers involved in the incident operate the bus on the Manjeri-Tirur route.

Malappuram police have interrogated the bus workers and took testimonies from witnesses. The body of Latheef, currently in the mortuary of Malappuram Taluk Hospital, will be shifted to the Medical College Hospital, Manjeri,  for the post-mortem examination.