Police yet to crack transgender woman murder case

Shalu was found strangled to death in April, 2019, in Kozhikode

At a time when discussions on safety and protection of transgender community are being widely held in the wake of the two recent unnatural deaths of its members, the police squads probing the murder of a 35-year-old transgender woman in Kozhikode city are still clueless about the criminals behind the incident. It was in April, 2019, that Shalu, a native of Kannur, was found strangled to death on UKS Road in the city. Though the local police handed over the case to the District Crime Branch after long months of probe, it failed to find any evidence in the case. A seven-second blurred visual from a closed circuit television camera was the only material that the police had secured. The police, however, failed to zero in on anyone using it. “We have been after this case and meeting senior police officers and government functionaries at various times. No one turned down our demand, but there was no progress in locating suspects,” said a transgender activist from the city.