P. Nagendran, the notorious individual charged as the primary accused in the assassination of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Armstrong, tragically succumbed to a heart attack at Government Stanley Hospital. According to police reports, Nagendran had been unwell for some time, grappling with severe kidney problems.
Aged 57 and residing in Sathyamurthi Nagar, Vyasarpadi, Nagendran was a formidable figure in the city’s criminal underworld. Police sources confirm his extensive criminal history, having spent the last 25 years behind bars for a range of serious offenses including murder, attempted murder, and extortion. In the Armstrong murder investigation, he was identified as Accused No. 1 and was believed to be the central orchestrator of the crime.
At the time of his demise, Nagendran was serving a life sentence at Central Prison, Puzhal. His conviction stemmed from the 1997 murder of AIADMK cadre Stanley Shanmugam in Vyasarpadi.
His son, N. Aswathaman, an advocate and former Congress functionary, is also implicated in the Armstrong murder, listed as Accused No. 3. Along with another prominent gangster, Sambhav Senthil, Aswathaman was identified as a co-conspirator. Police further indicated that Aswathaman, following in his father’s footsteps, had a history of involvement in criminal enterprises. The authorities stated that the father and son harbored a deep-seated animosity towards Armstrong, primarily due to his persistent intervention in their various illicit dealings.
Furthermore, Nagendran and his associates were reportedly involved in the murder of A. Thenarasu, who served as the secretary of the Chennai North unit of the BSP and was a close ally of Armstrong. Thenarasu, himself a figure with a criminal record including involvement in at least three murder cases and over a dozen other criminal offenses, was killed in February 2015 shortly after leaving a wedding hall in Thamaraipakkam village, near Vengal.
Bail Granted for Son
Meanwhile, the Principal Sessions Court has granted interim bail to Nagendran’s son, Aswathaman, until Monday, October 13, allowing him to attend his father’s funeral. The court has imposed specific conditions for his temporary release.