Armstrong killing: Encounter victim's body handed over to family; other suspects to be sent to prison on Tuesday

CHENNAI: The body of K Thiruvengadam who was shot dead by the police in an "encounter" on Sunday morning was handed over to his family members after post mortem early Monday morning.

Meanwhile, Madhavaram Judicial magistrate Deepa began enquiries into the "encounter" on Sunday night and visited the scene where Thiruvengadam was shot dead and also conducted enquiries with the families.

His body was cremated at Moolakothalam. Thiruvengadam (33), one of the eleven suspects arrested in connection with the murder of TN BSP President K Armstrong was shot dead when he allegedly opened fire at the police team which rounded him up after he fled while being taken to secure weapons used in the murder of Armstrong's murder.

Police said that Thiruvengadam was being taken to his house in Manali when he asked the cops to stop the vehicle to attend nature's call near Retteri lake around 6 am.

He then allegedly pushed the cops on the security detail and took to his heels.

An hour later, police teams led by Inspectors Mohammed Buhari and Saravanan rounded up Thiruvengadam, who was hiding in a metal shed in Vegetarian Nagar near Puzhal and police shot at Thiruvengadam when he allegedly opened fire at them and missed using the illegal weapon he had hid in the metal shed.

Meanwhile, the other ten suspects who were taken into police custody last Thursday will be sent to judicial remand on Tuesday evening, police sources said.

Armstrong was hacked to death on July 5 and on Sunday, hours after the encounter, police released CCTV footage of the arrested persons hacking Armstrong to death.