Armstrong murder case: 23 Accused Transferred to High-Security Prison

Chennai- Twenty-three individuals accused in the murder of BSP state president K. Armstrong have been transferred to Puzhal Central Prison from Poonamallee Sub-Jail on Sunday for security reasons, according to the Tamil Nadu Prison Department. The accused are part of a larger group implicated in the July 5th murder of Armstrong, who was also a lawyer at the Madras High Court, brutally killed in front of his under-construction home in Perambur, near Chennai. Armstrong was hacked to death by Ponnai Balu and his associates.

An eight-member gang led by Ponnai Balu, brother of slain gangster Arcot Suresh, initially claimed responsibility for the murder and surrendered to police the same evening. Balu confessed to the crime as revenge for Arcot Suresh's death, which he alleged was orchestrated by Armstrong. However, a special investigation team, led by Chennai City Police Commissioner M. Arun, uncovered a more complex plot involving three gangs.

The investigation revealed that while Ponnai Balu and his associates carried out the murder, it was financed and conspired by notorious gangster Nagendran, who has been imprisoned for 26 years, and another gangster, Sambhav Senthil. Nagendran allegedly held a grudge against Armstrong, believing he hindered the political career of his son, Ashwathaman, a lawyer and state office-bearer of the Tamil Nadu Youth Congress. Ashwathaman has also been accused in the case and was recently dismissed from the Congress party's primary membership. Sambhav Senthil is believed to have had real estate disputes with Armstrong.

Of the 27 individuals arrested in connection with the case, 23, including Ponnai Balu and Ashwathaman, are now in Puzhal Central Prison. However, Sambhav Senthil and his associates Krishna Kumar and Appu remain at large. Senthil, classified as an "A+ history-sheeter" at the Washermenpet police station, has been evading authorities since the incident. Police sources indicate they have leads on his whereabouts and expect to apprehend him soon.

A comprehensive 5,000-page chargesheet has been submitted to the magistrate court by the police.