The Coimbatore police have made little headway in the murder of District Transgender Association president Sangeetha, who was found dead in her residence on Wednesday. Sources tell TNM that special teams have been formed to investigate the case but they have not identified any possible culprits yet.
Sangeetha, a 60-year-old trans woman and entrepreneur, was last seen by the association members on Sunday. Two days later, police arrived at her residence after neighbours complained of a foul smell emanating from her premises near Sai Baba Colony. Her body was then found in a plastic water drum, wrapped in a blanket. Police found injuries on her neck and are waiting for the postmortem report.
"Three teams have been formed to probe the case," an officer who is part of the investigation told TNM. "We are looking into different angles. So far we have spoken to people close to the victim and are trying to narrow down suspects," he added.
In addition to the Sai Baba Colony Inspector, another Inspector and an Additional Commissioner of Police have been roped into the investigation.
"So far we are checking if there are some personal connections or rivalry that have led to the murder," said the investigating officer. "We have sourced call records, bank account details and are looking to see who has visited her in the past few weeks."
Trans rights activists have demanded that the government and police be proactive and get to the bottom of this case immediately.
"We already face so much pain in this society. It is unbearable that she (Sangeetha) met with such a gruesome death. The police have to ensure that the culprits are punished. We don't know the reason yet but a person has been brutally murdered," said activist Grace Banu, in a Facebook video. "The Tamil Nadu government should take initiative and take lawful action in this matter. We condemn those behind this crime. It is heartbreaking."