DT Next tracked him down and he answered questions through his lawyer son and wife. Nagendran, who had undergone a liver transplant recently, projected an altogether different picture of himself. 

He was convicted in 1999 for murder, along with ‘Mint’ Ramesh, but prior to the conviction he was jailed in 1997. “I have been in jail for over two decades, but police still attribute most of the crimes happening in the city to me. How is that possible. Then what is the point in keeping me in jail? It is a web of lies spun by the police,” he said. 

He claims he was diagnosed with liver problems five years ago. “I was in a very bad shape because of my health. My family has been struggling to keep me alive. Only after repeated petitions in courts, have I been able to get a liver transplant done,” he noted. Pausing, he added, “I was with ‘Vellai’ Ravi, 22 years ago, but the police still believe that I am controlling gangs sitting in jail.” The police say that despite being in Puzhal, Nagendran’s grip over the city’s underworld remains strong thanks to the mobile phone. “Many extortions are happening in the city using his name. It is very difficult to believe that all these crimes, in which his name is used, take place without his knowledge,” police said. 

Refuting the allegations, Nagendran queried, “How is it possible when there is so much security in jails? They say there are jammers inside prisons. And if caught with mobile phones inside the prison, jail staff will thrash you. I am not in a position to undergo such treatment from them. I am hoping for a reformed life. I want to be back with my family,” he said. He also said that he was a teetotaller, but life in prison had given him the liver disease. A school dropout, Nagendran trained as a boxer, hoping to get a government job, but ended up with ‘Vellai’ Ravi.  

Ashwathaman, practising lawyer and son of Nagendran, said that Nagendran was booked for illegal possession of a mobile phone inside the jail, but was acquitted. It is Nagendran’s mother who has been supporting the family since his imprisonment. “We still live in a Housing Board flat. My grandmother rented out a few properties. We have been surviving on it till I started earning. My younger brother is studying journalism and my sister is completing school,” said Ashwathaman. 

The police point out that the family has a steady income. “It is not easy to get a liver transplant done in a private hospital. The family has an SUV to roam around,” said the police. A team of lawyers is always at his beck and call, the police added. 

But Ashwathaman added the liver was received from his aunt. “I am paying EMIs for the SUV. All the lawyers the police refer to are my friends,” Ashwathaman pointed out. 

The police have so far had only one successful case against Nagendran. It is related to the murder of Stanley Shanmugham. He was acquitted in all the other cases lodged by the police against him. Since 2008, when the DMK was in power, after ‘Mint’ Ramesh — Nagendran’s co-accused — were released as part of an amnesty programme, his family had been hoping that he too would be released from jail in a similar manner. But it did not happened. 

The family feels that the police are still busy spreading ‘false news’ that Nagendran is the one and only reason for all the gangs in the city. “When I was admitted to hospital, the police told a TV channel that I am planning some ‘operation’ from the hospital bed. There should be a limit to false propaganda. Here I am, who wants to come out and lead a reformed life. But the police keep pushing stories about me. It will be better if they administer a lethal injection to me, rather than spreading such false information which is purely their imagination. Why do they want to drag my name and my family’s to crime, always? Don’t you think I have a right to live?” asked Nagendran.