A key accused in the murder of BSP Tamil Nadu chief K Armstrong was shot dead here on Sunday after he attempted to assault police personnel and flee from custody, police said.

When the accused, K Thiruvengadam, was taken by sleuths to a location in north Chennai as part of investigation to unearth weapons concealed in a spot, he assaulted a policeman and tried to escape and he was shot at by a police officer.

He was taken to a hospital, where he was declared by doctors as brought dead.

Thiruvengadam, in his thirties, is one of the 11 accused arrested in the Armstrong murder case and is a history-sheeter. A couple of days ago, a court here had granted police five-day custody of the accused persons.

On July 5, Armstrong was hacked to death here by a gang and the murder led to outrage and opposition parties alleged complete deterioration of law and order.

The police and the government had assured stern measures to bring the culprits to book. On July 11, police had shot dead a history-sheeter in Pudukottai district.

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