Murder believed to be linked to a kidnapping

In grief: Family and friends of Sameera (inset) wailing as they cremate her body at the Hindu crematorium in Karak.

PETALING JAYA: Transgender Sameera Krishnan, who was brutally murdered, was the main witness in her own kidnapping case two years ago.

The case is set for hearing at the Shah Alam court early next month.

The two men accused in the case, P. Ganesan and S. Vegeniswaran – along with two others still at large – have been charged under Section 3(1) of the Kidnapping Act (1961), which carries the mandatory death sentence.

Sameera, 26, whose legal name was K. Selamparasan, was rescued by police when her captors’ car was involved in a minor accident with another vehicle at the Sungai Rasau toll.

An argument ensued between the drivers of both vehicles and when police came in to diffuse the situation, they found her tied up in the back seat.

When contacted, lawyer Gerard Lazarus, who is representing both Ganesan and Vegeniswaran, confirmed the case but declined to comment further.

A senior police officer from the South Klang district police headquarters also confirmed the case as well as the fact that Sameera was the main witness.

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Other sources said she had been considering withdrawing the report against two accused, which would have seen the case dropped.

Sameera, who worked at a flower shop, was found dead with a gunshot wound and her body mutilated in Jalan Pasar, Kuantan, early Thursday morning after she went out to buy food.

She was shot in the posterior and had four fingers on her right hand severed. She also had severe head injuries.

During her funeral in Karak yesterday, which was also Sameera’s birthday, relatives and friends were emotional as they cremated her body.

Family members were too distraught to be interviewed.

Sameera’s brother Ramesh, 32, asked reporters for the family to be given space as they were still grie­ving.

The grisly murder has also sent shockwaves through the local transgender community here.

Transgender rights activist Nisha Ayub remembered Sameera – fondly known as Meera – as a “beautiful and joyful” person.

Nisha, who was herself previously based in Klang, remembers counselling Sameera some time back.

“The way she was killed so brutally is similar to the level of violence other transgender women have experienced before.

“This is a case of hate crime,” said Nisha, the founder of transgender rights group, SEED Foundation.

A survey by transgender rights group, Justice For Sisters, had found that at least 67% of Malaysian transgender women experienced some form of physical or emotional abuse after switching their sex.