DMK leader did not die of heart attack, 5 held for murder: Cops

The motive behind the murder, police said, was financial dealings. The five men arrested are Imran, Thameem, Sulthan, Naseer, Thoufeek and driver Lokesh. Imran and Thameem are related to Masthan while the remaining are their friends

Chennai: Ten days after the death of DMK leader D Masthan, five men were arrested on Friday on charges of murdering him, police said.

It was believed that DMK leader D Masthan had died due to a heart attack on December 22. The accused include relatives of Masthan, a former MP and vice chairman of Tamil Nadu’s Minorities Commission, police said. (HT Archives)

It was believed that he had died due to a heart attack on December 22. The accused include relatives of Masthan, a former MP and vice chairman of Tamil Nadu’s Minorities Commission, police said.

Masthan was travelling from Chennai towards Chengalpattu to reach Trichy by car on December 22. Earlier reports said that he suffered chest pain and he was taken to a private hospital where he was declared brought dead.

“Initially we thought it’s a heart attack but later we found signs of a murder,” said R Sibi Chakravarthi, deputy commissioner of police, Tambaram. “The deceased had nail marks on his right check. There was an injury on his lower lip. We suspected that he was smothered.”

The motive behind the murder, police said, was financial dealings. The five men arrested are Imran, Thameem, Sulthan, Naseer, Thoufeek and driver Lokesh. Imran and Thameem are related to Masthan while the remaining are their friends. “Imran had borrowed around ₹15 lakh from Masthan,” said Chakravarthi. “When Masthan kept asking him to return it, he didn’t like it.”

Masthan’s son had filed a complaint claiming suspicion in his father’s death with the Guduvanchery police in Tambaram city, adjoining Chennai. His autopsy also showed injuries on his body. Police had used CCTV footage and Google maps timeline which showed that Masthan’s car was held up for an hour after crossing the Paranur toll plaza.

Following his death, chief minister and DMK president M K Stalin along with several senior leaders had expressed shock at his sudden death and expressed their condolences on December 22. Now police say that he may have been strangled inside the car.