Bettiah: A 30-year-old transgender was found hanging inside a rented room under suspicious circumstances in Dumwaliya locality of Bagaha town in West Champaran district on Saturday morning.The deceased was identified as Renu Devi, a native of Maharajganj district. She had been living alone in rented accommodation for the past 2 to 3 months.According to locals, the door of the room remained closed for a long time on Saturday morning. Despite repeated knocks and calls by neighbours, there was no response from inside. Suspecting something amiss, they alerted Dial 112. A police team arrived at the spot and informed Patkhauli police station.Patkhauli SHO Hridayanand Singh said that upon receiving the information, a police team rushed to the spot. “The room was locked from inside. When the door was forced open, the body was found hanging,” he said. Senior officials, including Superintendent of Police Ramanand Kumar Kaushal, were informed immediately.A forensic science laboratory (FSL) team later visited the site and collected evidence. The body was sent to the subdivisional hospital for post-mortem examination.Police said preliminary investigation suggests that the deceased was originally from Maharajganj district of Uttar Pradesh and had been staying in the house of a local resident. Another transgender person, identified as Laila, lives in a nearby room and is being questioned as part of the investigation.Police have taken the house owner into custody for questioning. While the case appears to be one of suicide at first glance, police said the exact cause of death would be ascertained only after the post-mortem report is received. Further investigation is under way, considering all possible angles.Meanwhile, Bablu Kinnar, associated with a local transgender group, said that the deceased was not affiliated with their community. Our group members live in their own houses under the guidance of our guru Hemlata.
