2 arrested for beheading Thoothukudi trans priest
Sources said Maruthu, with whom Rajathi was in a relationship earlier, has been harassing her for over a year.
Chennai: Three days after a transgender woman was murdered in SS Manikapuram area in Thoothukudi, police have arrested both the accused.
The main accused, Maruthu, 23, had reportedly taken a sickle into the Mariamman temple where Rajathi, 38, was performing pooja and hacked her to death, confirmed the Thoothukudi police, who also said that he surrendered before the Vilathukulam court on Monday. Through Maruthu, his aide Snowlin was arrested on Tuesday.
Sources said Maruthu, with whom Rajathi was in a relationship earlier, has been harassing her for over a year.
“Maruthu, 23, was the temple secretary and used to work closely with Rajathi. He, however, married someone else but had continued to pester her,” a source in the trans community said.
Maruthu was angry because Rajathi had been spending time with another man after he got married. “He also lost his secretary post soon after Rajathi moved away from him. She had helped him a lot and even arranged for finances for his business,” the source said.
Maruthu has also confessed that after he lost his post, Rajathi, who had paid for Maruthu’s shop and water lorry business sold off two of the three lorries.
“Maruthu wanted a share of the sold lorries but Rajathi refused. There were also several other small disputes between the two. Being repeatedly harassed, Rajathi had warned that she would cut his head off and place it at the temple's entrance if he continued to harass her. Provoked by this threat, Maruthu attacked her,” police sources in Thoothukudi said.
A case has been registered with Thoothukudi police on Maruthu and under the Goondas Act on both him and Snowlin.