The murder of K Armstrong, the chief of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Tamil Nadu, has shocked the state. Armstrong's family and supporters are sceptical of the police narrative, alleging that the actual culprits are among those who surrendered. The police, however, suggest that the preliminary investigation indicates a history of enmity and a series of murders as the motive.
Armstrong, aged 52, was brutally hacked to death on July 5 by unidentified individuals outside his home in the Perambur area. CCTV footage revealed that four of the assailants were disguised as food delivery agents.
Veeramani, Armstrong's brother and a survivor of the attack, recounted that Armstrong was viciously slashed to death within a span of 10 seconds. Visual evidence obtained by India Today TV displayed that Armstrong's body bore multiple deep slash wounds to the head, a slash through the face, extensive slashes to the right side removing flesh, the left small finger chopped off, and a deep cut to the left ankle.
Veeramani further described how two men approached Armstrong, claiming he had ordered food, which distracted him momentarily before the gang launched their attack.
An hour after the incident, eight men surrendered at the Anna Nagar K4 Police Station, confessing to Armstrong's murder. The accused were identified as Ponnai Bala (33), Thiruvengatam (33), Santosh (22), Arul (33), Manivannan (25), Ramu (38), Thirumalai (45), and Selvaraj (48).
Sandeep Rai Rathore, the City Police Commissioner who was recently transferred to the position of Director General of Police, Police Training Academy, stated in a press conference that all eight suspects had been arrested.
"Preliminary investigations suggest that the murder does not have a political motive. Armstrong had faced certain political issues early in his career, and there were conflicts with another group, which we are investigating. However, a political motive is highly unlikely. More details will emerge as the investigation progresses," Rathore explained.
A SERIES OF MURDERS
The case has also brought attention to the history-sheeter Ponnai Bala, brother of the gangster Arcot Suresh, who was murdered in 2023. Police sources revealed that the gang had conducted surveillance on Armstrong, monitoring his movements to determine when he was most vulnerable, even using uniforms from a food aggregator app to avoid suspicion.
The conflict between the Arcot Suresh gang and Armstrong reportedly stemmed from the Aarudhra Gold scam case. Ponnai Bala believed that Armstrong was responsible for his brother’s murder. However, further investigations revealed that Arcot Suresh had been involved in the murder of Thennarasu in 2015.
Thennarasu, a close associate of Armstrong, was murdered in February in Thamaraipakkam, Thiruvallur district, in front of his family. Gangster Arcot Suresh was killed in August 2023, and his close aide Madhavan was severely injured in the attack.
Eleven men were arrested for the murder of Arcot Suresh, and police sources indicated that they were allegedly funded by Armstrong.
Madhavan, Suresh’s close aide, was murdered in January 2023 at his home. Ponnai Bala was reportedly enraged because Armstrong’s name did not appear in either murder case. Additionally, as Ponnai Bala took over the leadership from his brother, he found it difficult to compete with Armstrong.
Sources indicated that Ponnai Bala had vowed to kill Armstrong before the first anniversary of his brother Arcot Suresh's death. Several attempts were made, but they were unsuccessful. On July 5, however, with a meticulously detailed plan and knowing that Armstrong was unarmed while visiting the site of his under-construction house, the gang succeeded in murdering him.
Ponnai Bala allegedly enlisted men from his brother’s gang and close friends, believing that Armstrong might kill him soon if he did not act first.
