unlink will operate on files in the current directory, if you haven't provided a fully-specified path when calling it. Try: 
foreach my $file (@onlyfiles) {
  unlink "$basedir/$mesgdir/$file";
}

[download]
Also, you will be virtually tarred and feathered unless you use strict, turn on warnings (#!/usr/bin/perl -w), and check for errors after system calls (such as opendir). 
   MeowChow                                   
               s aamecha.s a..a\u$&owag.print

In reply to Re: Deleting specified files and directories by MeowChow
in thread Deleting specified files and directories by Sadmachine

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