Two persons, including a history-sheeter, were arrested for allegedly attacking a man and his friends with an iron rod and a knife when they went in search of a suspect who had snatched a mobile phone in Nungambakkam.

The police said Venkatesh, 27, a resident of Lala Garden in T. Nagar and a contract employee at the Veterinary Hospital in Vepery, was speaking to his friend, Prakash, near the Kodambakkam railway station on Tuesday night, when three men, including residents Ranjith and Kanishkar, allegedly snatched his phone and attempted to flee.

When Venkatesh raised an alarm, members of the public helped him recover the phone from the suspects. However, the three men managed to escape from the spot.

Later that night, Venkatesh went to Ranjith’s residence to inquire about the incident. After informing him that Ranjith was not at home, Ranjith’s uncle Nagaraj and two friends allegedly abused Venkatesh and his companions, attacked them with a knife and an iron rod, and threatened to kill them. They then fled the spot

Venkatesh and two of his friends sustained injuries in the attack and received treatment at the Government Royapettah Hospital. Based on a complaint lodged by Venkatesh, the police arrested two accused — Nagu, alias Nagarajan, 52, and Ranjith Kumar, 24, of Nungambakkam.

Nagarajan, a history-sheeter at the Nungambakkam Police Station, has nine criminal cases registered against him, including three for attempted murder, robbery, and assault. Ranjith Kumar has a case registered against him under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.