The Tiruvallur police on Tuesday arrested 27 students of the Government Arts and Science College in Nandanam for trying to intimidate a murder witness inside the Tiruvallur courtroom.

According to the police, Venkataraman, a brick kiln owner, was murdered by a gang in September 2018, in front of his family. His brother Thangaraj was also murdered.

The Vellavedu police, on Tuesday, produced five witnesses, including Gajendran, a public witness, before the judge, in connection with the case. “Close to 27 youngsters walked into the court room and stood inside. Seeing this, Gajendran alerted the police, and they nabbed the youngsters,” said a police officer.

During inquiry, it was found that they were friends of Vimal, a student of the Government Arts and Science College, Nandanam, and the nephew of Rajesh and Dinesh — the main suspects in the murder case. “They had come to intimidate the witnesses, but they were not carrying weapons,” the officer said.

Based on a complaint given by Gajendran, the police arrested the 27 students and remanded them in judicial custody. The police will be informing the college to take necessary action against the students, the police said.