Armstrong murder charge sheet next week will spill beans: Chennai police commissioner

CHENNAI: Police who “officially” maintained that Tamil Nadu BSP president Armstrong’s murder was a “revenge killing” for rowdy Arcot Suresh’s murder last year, will be filing a charge sheet next week as investigations are complete.

The police have so far arrested over two dozen accused including advocates and cadres of major political parties in connection with the July 5 murder of Armstrong, suggesting more than a revenge killing. Nagendran, one of the accused is a life convict who is serving prison time and allegedly co-ordinated from prison. His son, Aswathaman, a Youth Congress member was also arrested.

“The motives of each accused will be revealed in a week after we file the charge sheet,” said Police Commissioner A Arun, who took charge just three days after Armstrong’s murder.

The Commissioner further stated that the police have appointed G Augustine Paul Sudhakar, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) to conduct a financial investigation and take steps to freeze the assets of the accused involved in the murder. The ADC has prior experience in financial investigations working in the Enforcement Directorate.

Arun also expressed confidence that his personnel are closing in on the remaining suspects involved in the murder and would be apprehending them.

Besides talking about the progress in the Armstrong murder case, the Commissioner also stressed the interventions made in the administration of the city police, aligning with his “professional policing” agenda in the context of issues of public concern which require attention, which he emphasised when he took over as the Commissioner.

Pointing out the shake-up in the Central Crime Branch (CCB) which deals with white-collar crimes, he said that scrutiny of the case files ongoing to curb the possibilities of kattapanchayat by the police officers. In response to a question about steps to address “police corruption”, the Commissioner referred to the shake-up in CCB.

On the spate of public nuisance and violence involving college students, he said that officers have been assigned to address the issue by identifying the chief miscreants in each college and taking it up with their parents who are unaware of their wards’ shenanigans. The Commissioner, however, warned that those showing no remorse will be dealt with strictly.

Emphasising that special wings have been formed for intelligence gathering on narcotics and rowdy movement, the Commissioner said that he has also instructed his personnel to focus on “cell phone snatching” incidents, acknowledging that such cases are not being given their due attention. “Cell phone robbery is like a personal attack as the robber also gets hold of personal data,” Arun said.

Highlighting an instance where a rowdy, who has over 50 cases, got acquitted in 90 per cent of the cases against him, Arun reiterated that professional policing does not stop with arrest and remand, but with ensuring conviction too.