CBI team visits crime scene in Armstrong murder case

CHENNAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has started the probe into the case relating to the murder of Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) Tamil Nadu president K Armstrong, following orders of the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court. It visited the scene of the crime.

The case has been registered under Sections 191(2), 191(3), 118(1), 103 and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. The FIR was registered on August 6, 2026, at the CBI's Special Task Branch in Chennai.

The CBI FIR states that the Madras High Court, in an order dated September 24, 2025, transferred the investigation into Crime No.293 of 2024 of Sembium police station to the CBI. The order was passed in a petition filed by K Armstrong's relative, K Immanuvel.

The Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai Police, and others had challenged the High Court order before the Supreme Court. The petition was subsequently withdrawn. The Supreme Court, in its July 22, 2026 order, observed that the dismissal of the Special Leave Petition (SLP) meant that the High Court's order would stand and the CBI would take over as the investigating agency.

According to the original complaint reproduced in the CBI FIR, Armstrong was attacked at around 7 pm on July 5, 2024, near an under-construction house on Venugopal Samy Street in Perambur. His brother Veeramani, who was present at the spot, said around eight unidentified men arrived and attacked Armstrong with knives.

Veeramani told police that he, real estate broker Balaji and Armstrong's driver Abdul Gani were also attacked when they tried to intervene. Armstrong and Abdul Gani were taken to Apollo Hospital, while Balaji was taken to Arul Das Hospital. The complaint stated that Armstrong died while being taken to Apollo Hospital.

The original case was registered at Sembium police station as Crime No.293 of 2024, and it was said that rival gangs, under the leadership of gangster Nagendran, had joined together to eliminate Armstrong. While Nagendran died of ill health, another accused was killed by Chennai police in an encounter.

The CBI has now taken up the case for investigation and visited the scene of the crime on Saturday.