A transgender politician who ran for the Indian presidency was shot dead earlier this month at her home in Ghaziabad, Uttar Prades state.

Daya Rani Kinnar, 56, was found on the morning of 4 July with a bullet hole in her head.

She made national headlines when she contested the 2009 general election as an independent on a transgender platform.

Kinnar retired to her room on the ground floor at around 11pm on the night of her death. Her body was discovered the next morning when her assistant Shama came to serve her tea. Her niece Geeta, who lived with her, then called police.

Police said her killers had pushed the nozzle of a gun through a hole cut in the wire mesh over her window.

Two men were arrested on the evening of 6 July and a country-made pistol and knife were found in their possession. A third suspect is still at large.

The duo confessed that they murdered Kinnar to usurp her considerable wealth. One of the men was the estranged husband of Kinnar’s niece, who had married him against her aunt’s will.

Police said the murder was well planned.

‘The shooting took place at a time when a train was passing by, which muffled the sound of the gunshot,’ said a senior officer.

‘This is why the body was only discovered in the morning when someone entered Rani’s room and saw her lying in a pool of blood.’

According to the Hamara Ghaziabad news portal, ‘Daya Rani was a very popular personality in the area. She was among the first transgender who fought elections, she ran for almost every election be it of a municipal councillor, MLA or MP.

‘She was a famous for her generous support for social causes and a huge following across the community.’