TN: Trans man ‘kills’ friend for ‘refusing to be in relationship’ with him, held

A 27-year-old trans man allegedly took his schoolmate to a deserted spot, blindfolded her, tied her hands and legs with chains, slashed her with a blade, and set her ablaze as she refused to have a relationship with him even though he had changed his sex for her.

This shocking incident took place in Ponmar near Thalambur, on the southern outskirts of Chennai, late on Saturday (December 23) evening. The trans man, Vetrimaran, who was named Pandi Murugeshwari before the sex-change surgery, was arrested on Sunday (December 24).

The woman, R Nandhini, a 27-year-old software engineer, succumbed to her injuries at a hospital. Her family said the duo had been friends since high school in Madurai. Media reports quoted police sources as saying that Vetrimaran was upset that Nandhini has refused to have a relationship with him and had got close to a colleague instead.

What happened?

Nandhini’s birthday was on Sunday. On Saturday, Vetrimaran reportedly asked Nandhini to meet him once, as he had a surprise for her. Nandhini lived at her aunt’s house in Kannagi Nagar while her office was in Nungambakkam. Vetrimaran lives at Mappedu in Tiruvallur district.

When they met, Vetrimaran reportedly presented Nandhini with new clothes and took her to several places, including a temple and an orphanage where he made a donation. Then, around 7 to 7.15 pm, he took her to a vacant plot in Ponmar after telling her he would drop her home.

Police suspect Vetrimaran blindfolded Nandhini under the pretext of giving her a gift. After blindfolding her, he tied her arms and legs with chains and slashed her neck, wrists, and ankles before dousing her in petrol and setting her ablaze. As Nandhini screamed in agony, he fled the spot.

Hearing her screams, passersby rushed in but she had suffered severe burns by then. They informed the police and called an ambulance. When the police arrived, Nandhini, before passing out, managed to give them a phone number. It was Vetrimaran’s number. When the police called him, he came to the spot at once, said she was her friend and even helped the police take her to the hospital.

Needle of suspicion

However, by the time she died in hospital late on Saturday, Vetrimaran had gone missing, which made the police suspicious. As they started investigating, it turned out that Nandhini’s colleague knew about their plans, which prompted the police to arrest Vetrimaran, who reportedly confessed to the crime.

Nandhini’s sister was quoted in media reports as saying that Nandhini, Vetrimaran (who was then a girl), and another girl were very close in high school. When they were in college, Vetrimaran reportedly revealed that he identified as a man. While the third girl severed ties with him, Nandhini stayed in touch.

Media reports quoted Nandini’s father as saying that Nandhini paid with her life for “being empathetic and supportive”.