Three more arrested in case related to murder of BSP leader K Armstrong

The arrested were identified as 21-year-old N Vijayakumar, V Mukilan (32) and N Vignesh, aged 27 years, police said.

Published Jul 28, 2024 | 1:58 PMUpdated Jul 28, 2024 | 1:58 PM

K Armstrong

Three more persons have been arrested in connection with BSP leader K Armstrong’s killing, police said on Sunday, 28 July. The arrested were identified as 21-year-old N Vijayakumar, V Mukilan (32) and N Vignesh, aged 27 years, police said.

They were produced before a local court on Sunday and remanded to 15 days custody.

The latest arrest takes the number of persons under police custody in the high-profile murder case to 20.

Also Read: Pa Ranjith demands that police hold everyone involved in Armstrong’s murder accountable

AIADMK members among arrested

AIADMK functionaries were among the people arrested.

K Haridharan, an advocate and AIADMK Union Committee Member in Kadambattur, in the neighbouring Tiruvallur district was arrested on 21 July.

One of the accused — Arul had revealed that he had handed over their mobile phones to 37-year-old Haridharan to destroy them.

After collecting six mobile phones, he had thrown them into the Kosasthalai river in Vengathur, he told police personnel.

An accused arrested earlier, S Malarkodi who is an advocate, was also a functionary of the AIADMK.

On 18 July, an official release of AIADMK stated that they were expelling her from the party in the state, as she acted against the party rules.

Also Read: AIADMK functionary among three arrested, party expels her

Accused shot dead

K Thiruvengadam, an accused in the case, was shot dead in Chennai on 14 July by police.

Following his arrest, Thiruvengadam was taken to a spot in the city, as part of the investigation to recover weapons. A key accused in the case, he allegedly opened fire at police personnel and attempted to flee from their custody. Police had said that in an act of self-defence, they fired at him and he was dead.

On 5 July, Armstrong, the state president of the BSP was hacked to death here by a gang and the murder led to widespread outrage. Opposition parties, including the AIADMK, alleged there has been a deterioration of law and order in the state.

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami had batted for a CBI investigation into the Armstrong murder case. BSP supremo and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati, among many other leaders, had also made a similar plea.

(With inputs from PTI)

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