Infamous Chennai crime lord Nagendran, key accused in Armstrong murder case, passes away

CHENNAI: P Nagendran, long a dominant name in Chennai’s crime headlines, most recently linked to the 2024 murder of State BSP chief K Armstrong, died at Stanley Medical College Hospital on Thursday, police said.

The gangster and first accused in the Armstrong case was serving a life sentence. He was admitted to the ICU earlier this month after his health worsened, having suffered from severe long-term health issues, including liver damage.

A school dropout and trained boxer, Nagendran had once hoped for a government job but later fell in with gangster ‘Vellai’ Ravi. Convicted for murder in 1999 and jailed since 1997, he remained a symbol of Chennai’s shadowy underworld. In a 2018 interview with DT Next, arranged by his lawyer-son and wife, Nagendran cast himself not as a don but as a victim of police misrepresentation.

From his hospital bed after a liver transplant, he had questioned the police claims of his criminal links, “I’ve been in jail for over two decades, but police still blame me for city crimes. How is that possible?” He had called the allegations “a web of lies spun by the police.”

He had also denied running operations from prison, citing tight security and mobile jammers, and expressed a wish for reform. "I want to be back with my family.” Nagendran had blamed his liver disease on years of prison hardship, claiming he was a teetotaller.

Police, however, told a different story. They insisted his hold over extortion and crime in North Chennai had remained strong, aided by phones in prison. “It’s hard to believe these crimes happen without his knowledge,” said a police source.

Police had also questioned his family’s finances, including how they could afford a liver transplant and maintain an SUV.

His son, Ashwathaman, also an accused in Armstrong’s brutal murder, had then countered that the liver was donated by an aunt, the SUV bought on loan, and their income came from rental properties. He noted that his father was acquitted in most cases, with only one conviction standing.

Also Read: Armstrong murder a hit job by Chennai crime syndicate