Transgender woman arrested for alleged murder of man in Chennai

CHENNAI: A 38-year-old transgender woman was arrested on Sunday in connection with the alleged murder of a man found dead on a pavement in the New Washermanpet area. The accused, identified as Malaika Arumugam, was taken into custody following a detailed police investigation that established her involvement in the crime.On May 23, police received information about an unconscious man, identified as John Batcha (39), who was residing in temporary tents on the roadside in New Washermanpet. A team from New Washermanpet Police Station responded to the alert and found him unresponsive. Medical personnel from the '108' ambulance service confirmed that he was already deceased.The police initially registered a case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNSS) for unnatural death.

However, during the postmortem examination and preliminary inquiry, injuries were found on the victim’s neck and body, indicating possible foul play.Further investigation revealed that John Batcha was in an inebriated state during the early hours of May 23 when he got into a verbal altercation with Malaika, a fellow resident of the area. According to police, during the confrontation, Malaika allegedly attacked Batcha, pushed him to the ground, stomped on his neck, and continued to assault him, leading to his death.

She then fled the scene.Based on investigation with the supporting evidence, including CCTV footage and witness accounts, the police altered the case to a murder charge. Malaika was arrested, and a mobile phone and two-wheeler were seized from her possession. She is scheduled to be produced before a magistrate on Monday and will be remanded to judicial custody.