Sri Vijaya Puram, October 22: Aberdeen Police have arrested a 32-year-old man serving a life sentence for murder in Tamil Nadu after he allegedly failed to return to prison following the expiry of his parole, adding to a series of cases in which people accused or convicted in mainland criminal cases have been traced to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The accused, Arunpandian, a resident of Ramanathapuram district in Tamil Nadu, was serving a life sentence in a murder case registered at Kenikkarai Police Station in 2017. The case involved charges under Sections 114, 120B and 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Arunpandian was granted parole for 21 days, from September 10 to October 2, 2026, without a police escort, following an order of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court in W.P. (Crl.) (MD) No. 4469 of 2026.
He was released on September 10 and was required to report to the police daily at 6.30 pm. He reportedly complied with the reporting requirement until September 30 but failed to surrender at the prison on the evening of October 2, when his parole period ended. He was subsequently traced to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and arrested by Aberdeen Police.
The case is among several instances in which mainland police agencies have tracked suspects or accused persons to the archipelago. However, the circumstances of these cases differ, and the latest arrest is separate from the earlier murder investigations.
Bengaluru murder case brought national attention
One of the most widely known cases involved the February 2020 murder of 54-year-old Nirmala Chandrashekar at her residence in Bengaluru’s KR Puram area.
Bengaluru Police accused her daughter, software professional Amrutha Chandrashekar, of killing her mother and attempting to murder her younger brother. Amrutha and her friend Sridhar Rao travelled to Port Blair following the incident, reportedly on a pre-planned trip.
Investigators traced their movements using CCTV footage, telephone records and location information before arresting them in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands within days of the killing.
The investigation later featured in Netflix’s true-crime documentary series *Crime Stories: India Detectives*, released on September 22, 2021. Its first episode, *A Murdered Mother*, followed the investigation into Nirmala’s death and the police operation that led to the arrests in Port Blair.
The episode subsequently became the subject of a legal dispute after Rao approached the Karnataka High Court, arguing that the use of investigation material and an alleged confession could prejudice his defence in the pending criminal proceedings. The court initially restricted the episode’s streaming in October 2021, before the restriction was lifted.
Arrests in Campbell Bay and Port Blair
In another case, Haryana Police arrested A.P. Selvan, a 54-year-old cook wanted in connection with the alleged murder of his wife in Haryana in 2007. After remaining absconding for approximately 11 years, he was traced to Vijay Nagar in Campbell Bay, in the Nicobar district.
A Haryana Police team, assisted by the Andaman and Nicobar Police, arrested Selvan on August 23, 2023. He was brought to Port Blair two days later.
In May 2024, businessman Kapil Deb, accused in the murder of Trinamool Congress leader Sanjeev Das, also known as Potla, in Baguiati near Kolkata, was arrested at a lodge in Aberdeen Bazaar, Port Blair. Investigators alleged that Deb had travelled to the islands by air after the crime. The arrest on May 16 involved a joint operation by South Andaman Police and the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate.
Two accused traced to Swaraj Dweep
In another case reported in October 2026, Visakhapatnam’s Bheemunipatnam Police arrested two accused in a 2022 murder case from Swaraj Dweep, formerly known as Havelock Island.
The accused, Vadhamodula Nukaraju and Vanka Jyothi, had allegedly absconded while on bail and travelled to the islands. Police alleged that they changed their identities and used forged Aadhaar cards to evade detection before investigators traced and arrested them.
Inter-state coordination remains crucial
The cases illustrate how the Andaman and Nicobar Islands can feature in investigations originating far beyond the Union Territory, with police teams from different states working alongside local law enforcement to trace people wanted in criminal cases.
The islands’ geographical distance from the mainland does not necessarily prevent investigators from following leads across state and Union Territory boundaries. In the cases described, arrests followed the tracing of suspects or accused persons through investigative efforts and inter-agency coordination.
At the same time, the cases must be viewed separately. The latest arrest concerns a convicted prisoner who allegedly failed to return after parole, while the other cases involve distinct murder investigations and different legal circumstances.
An arrest or accusation does not, by itself, establish guilt in a pending criminal case. The legal status and outcome of each proceeding remain subject to the relevant judicial process.
