A man in his 30s was found throttled to death at the crossing of Zakaria Street and Balai Dutta Lane, in the heart of central Calcutta, on Sunday night.

Police said CCTV footage obtained from near the spot showed at least three men running away. “One of them was with a crutch and that gave away his identity within a few hours of the offence,” an officer said.

The three men — Haru Karmakar, 38, from Sonarpur; Mohammad Samir, 19, from Jorasanko; and Firoz Khan, 36, from Balai Dutta Street — have been arrested and charged with murder.

The victim, Ranjeet, was a van-puller in the neighbourhood.

“Mohammad Samir, the youngest of the three accused, walks with the support of a crutch. A few years ago, he had jumped off a building while trying to flee apparently after committing a theft.

He fractured his leg and has been limping since,” said an officer of Jorasanko police station.

Cops have come to know from a preliminary inquiry that the four were eating and drinking together when a dispute arose over Rs 100. “That led to the alleged strangulation of the van-puller,” an officer said.