In a significant development in the murder case of BSP Tamil Nadu unit president K Armstrong, city police authorities detained 15 more accused under the Goondas Act on Thursday, bringing the total number of preventive detentions in the case to 25. The accused include former political functionaries from several parties, adding a political dimension to the ongoing investigation.City Police Commissioner A Arun passed orders to place the 15 accused under preventive detention following their involvement in the high-profile murder, which took place on July 5. Those detained include K Hariharan (27), S Malarkodi (49), K Satishkumar (31), K Haridharan (37), M Anjalai (51), B Siva (35), T Pradeep (28), V Mukilan (32), N Vijayakumar (21), N Vignesh (27), N Aswathaman (31), S Porkodi (40), L Rajesh (40), V Senthil Kumar (27), and R Gopi (23).
Several of the detained individuals have political affiliations. M Anjalai, one of the accused, was a BJP functionary, while N Aswathaman was linked to the Youth Congress. K Hariharan was associated with the Tamil Manila Congress, and K Haridharan, a practicing lawyer, held a position as a ward councillor in the Kadambathur panchayat union under the AIADMK. Notably, Arul, a DMK functionary, was earlier detained under the same Act in connection with the murder.
The detentions follow the earlier arrests of 10 other suspects who had also been placed under the Goondas Act. This preventive detention law allows the police to hold individuals deem