A day after the installation of special teams to nab the culprit behind the mysterious murder of trans woman Sangeetha in Coimbatore, the district police department has, on Friday, arrested the suspect in connection to the crime amid the strong demand from the activists to detain the culprits. 

According to reports close to the developments, the Coimbatore police have arrested 23-year-old Rajesh on Friday behind the murder of 60-year-old Sangeetha. Rajesh is a native of Nagapattinam district and he was working at the Covai Trans Kitchen in Coimbatore that was started by Sangeetha in September. The reports say, by quoting the police officials, that there was a personal dispute between Rajesh and Sangeetha which had led Rajesh to kill the trans woman, who was well known across the state for being an activist and entrepreneur. 

However, the press release from the district police department has mentioned that Sangeetha was killed by Rajesh for rejecting his sexual advances. Speaking to a news agency, the police commissioner of Coimbatore said that Rajesh and Sangeetha had a personal dispute for a month, and the dispute and fueled further last Sunday after which Rajesh had killed Sangeetha at her residence in Sai Baba Colony, Coimbatore. 

It was alleged that Rajesh had killed Sangeetha, wrapped her body with the plastic bag, and put it inside the plastic water tank filled with water, and fled the spot. As Sangeetha wasn't reachable for two days, some of the transgender people had gone to her residence on Wednesday and sensed a stench and creepy smell following which they alerted the local police.

The local police arrived at the spot, recovered the body, and sent for the autopsy. They found an injury in her neck region and on Thursday, the district police had formed three special teams to probe the matter and arrest the culprits and on Friday, the police had arrested 23-year-old Rajesh. Multiple reports say that Rajesh was sexually harassing Sangeetha and he went on to murder her when Sangeetha threatened that she would file a police complaint against him for his sexual torture.

However, the police commissioner pressed that there was a personal dispute. Following the arrest of Rajesh, the police department has been interrogating the accused and a case has been booked under sections 201 - causing disappearance of evidence of the offence, 302- punishment for the murder of the Indian Penal Code. Sangeetha had been working to the upliftment of fellow transgender people and recently she had started a business in which she had employed transgender people.

In September, Sangeetha had started an eatery named 'Trans Kitchen' in RS Puram, Coimbatore and she had primarily employed transgender people who lost their jobs in the wake of the COVID-19 lockdown and restrictions.  Earlier, speaking to a news agency, a well-known transgender activist in Tamil Nadu Grace Banu had condemned the murder and urged to conduct a fair and complete probe into her death.