CHENNAI: The city police seized at least 50 machetes from the house of gangster P Nagendran in Vyasarpadi based on a tipoff that his brother has been plotting to murder a rival. Seven persons, including Nagendran's younger brother, were arrested.

Nagendran is the prime accused in the murder of BSP State unit president K Armstrong last year, which he allegedly orchestrated from prison.

After receiving a tipoff about a weapons cache at a house in SM Nagar Vyasarpadi and conducted a surprise check. Officials found machetes and iron rods there. Seeing the police, one of the suspects ran and hid inside another house. When a police team ran to secure him, there were six others hiding inside with machetes. One of them allegedly attempted to attack the sub-inspector leading the team.

Sources said the house was used by Nagendran several years ago. After he went to prison, his brother P Ramesh (40) was living there. As Nagendran continued his criminal activities from prison, the police kept track of Ramesh's activities and learnt that he had an ongoing rivalry with Mohan Das, a history sheeter.

Both of them have been actively plotting to kill each other. On Tuesday, Ramesh gathered his accomplices to execute the plan on Wednesday before police thwarted the plan.

Along with Ramesh, the Vyasarpadi police arrested Thamizharasan, P Murugan (52), D Thamizhagan (39), S Dhanush (28), E Sugumar (29) and P Kishore (30) - all relatives of Nagendran.

In October last year, almost three months after the brutal murder of BSP leader Armstrong on July 5, the Greater Chennai City Police filed a chargesheet before the metropolitan magistrate court, Egmore, accusing life convict, Nagendran, and his politician son, Aswathaman, along with the still elusive ‘Sambavam’ Senthil as the main accused in the murder.