<div><b><span style="font-size: 1rem;">On the eve of her birthday, a 24-year-old software engineer in Tamil Nadu was chained, slashed with a blade and burnt alive by her former classmate who had undergone a sex change operation to marry her, police said today.&nbsp;</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The disturbing incident unfolded in Thalambur near Kelambakkam, a quiet southern suburb of Chennai. According to police reports, 26-year-old Vetrimaran alias Pandi Maheswari, under the guise of a birthday surprise, blindfolded 24-year-old R Nandhini and subjected her to an unimaginable ordeal involving chains and petrol.</div><div><br></div><div>The unsuspecting victim, a native of Madurai and a software engineer, had been residing with relatives in Chennai. Vetrimaran, having changed his name from Pandi Maheswari, lured Nandhini into his deadly trap on the pretext of a birthday celebration.</div><div><br></div><div>"They were friends and were living together in Chennai. No indication yet of any sexual assault. Whether Vetrimaran had displayed violent tendencies earlier is not clear. An investigation is on," Tambaram Police Commissioner Amalraj told NDTV.</div><div><br></div><div>Investigations revealed a dark turn in the relationship between the two. Having studied together in Madurai, Nandhini continued the friendship even after Vetrimaran underwent a sex-change operation. Both of them had worked together in a private IT firm in Thoraipakkam, further intertwining their lives, police said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>According to the police, the motive behind this gruesome act seems to stem from Vetrimaran's suspicion that Nandhini had developed an interest in others.</div><div><br></div><div>Vetrimaran reportedly invited Nandhini for what was supposed to be a birthday surprise, but the evening turned into a nightmare for the 24-year-old. According to the police, local residents discovered Nandhini, still chained and burning, and immediately rushed her to the hospital, where she died</div><div><br></div><div>The police swiftly apprehended Vetrimaran, who now faces charges of murder and is remanded to judicial custody. - NDTV</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>