Amid tight security, 26 accused arrested in Armstrong murder case produced in court

26 accused in BSP leader K.Armstrong murder case appear in court for chargesheet copies amidst tight security.

Amidst tight security, 26 accused, including those arrested in BSP leader K.Armstrong murder case were produced before a Metropolitan Magistrate in Egmore on Monday for receiving the copies of the chargesheet. 

It may be recalled that on July 5, a gang of men hacked Armstrong to death while he was on a visit to an under-construction site in Perambur. Police have arrested 28 suspects in connection with the murder so far. One of the suspects, Thiruvenkadam, who escaped from police custody when he was taken to recover the weapon used for the murder, was shot dead by the police. 

The Sembium Police registered a case and took up investigation. Special teams conducted a thorough probe on the orders of City Police Commissioner A. Arun. Three weeks ago, the police filed the chargesheet in the Fifth Metropolitan Magistrate court in Egmore for further proceedings. The chargesheet cited 30 persons involved in the conspiracy and murder. 

Gangster Nagendran, presently lodged in Vellore Central Prison, has been cited as accused-1 and gangster Sambav Senthil, who is absconding, has been cited as accused-2. Nagendran’s son and former Congress functionary and advocate Aswathaman is cited accused- 3. 

On Monday, 26 accused were brought from the prisons and produced before XIII Metropolitan Magistrate M. Dhamaprabu, who was in charge of V-Metropolitan Magistrate. Nagendran was not produced since he was under treatment. The advocates of the accused opposed the prosecution’s move to furnish softcopies of the chargesheet in a pen drive and wanted the police to hand them hardcopies. However, the prosecution argued that they could provide the softcopies as per the new Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). As the defence side continued to oppose the furnishing of chargesheet copies in a pen drive, the magistrate adjourned the matter to November 4.