Cook sexually harasses, then kills trans-woman owner of restaurant
A cook in a restaurant run by a trans woman (59) was arrested on Friday for allegedly killing his employer and dumping the body in a drum here, police said.
The cook Rajesh (23) alleged sexually harassed the trans woman Sangeetha (59) who warned him of going to the police if he continued to indulge in such harassment, they said.
A brilliant leader and activist, Sangeetha, was brutally murdered in Coimbatore yesterday. She was Chief of the Transgender Association, and opened the first trans kitchen, employing 12 trans women. Transphobia is global, we must #StopTransMurder now. pic.twitter.com/ppTBHPn89H
— Sharmin Hossain (@sharminultra) October 21, 2020
This made the cook angry and he killed the trans woman by slitting the throat and dumping the body, the police said.
The body of Sangeetha with injuries was found in the drum on Wednesday following complaints of a foul smell, they said.
Shocked and horrified . Sangeetha was a respectable and responsible citizen working tirelessly for upliftment of trans people. Such a gruesome murder ! I call for a swift and fair investigation @CMOTamilNadu @policecbecity #transgender #activist https://t.co/VHigiyIgCs
— Kasturi Shankar (@KasthuriShankar) October 21, 2020
Investigations led to the arrest of Rajesh on Thursday.
He had also stolen Rs 20,000 from Sangeetha's house after the crime, the police said.
Sangeetha had opened 'Trans Kitchen', a restaurant, in the city a month ago and Rajesh was employed as the cook.