KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 26 — Police have dismissed the possibility that the murder of trans woman Sameera Krishnan was a hate crime.
The Star quoted Pahang CID chief Senior Asst Commissioner Datuk Raja Shahrom Raja Abdullah as saying that the police was investigating the victim’s past activities and to see if it was related to a kidnapping case in Klang two years ago.
But Raja Shahrom said his men have found no element of hate crime so far.
“We are looking into the victim’s past activities and also whether the murder was linked to a kidnapping case in Klang two years ago.
“We are investigating if it was an act of vengeance, but there is no indication that the murder was a hate crime against a transgender individual,” he said.
Sameera, 26, was found dead on Thursday with a gunshot wound and her body mutilated in Jalan Pasar, Kuantan, reportedly after she went out to buy food.
The transgender woman was the main witness in her own kidnapping case, which had been set for hearing at the Shah Alam court early next month.
Sameera was abducted in 2015, but was fortunate enough to be rescued by police when her captors’ car crashed with another vehicle at the Sungai Rasau toll plaza.
Kuantan OCPD Asst Comm Abdul Aziz Salleh said police were taking the case seriously like any other crime.
“The point is someone was murdered so police will investigate this case thoroughly according to procedure as always,” he was quoted saying.
Four fingers on Sameera’s right hand were severed. She had severe head injuries and was shot in the posterior.
The brutality of the murder has led to activists branding it as a “hate crime”.
