Bengaluru: Suspect Who Killed Woman, Stuffed Body Pieces Into Fridge Identified, Says Police

BENGALURU: The prime suspect in the gruesome case of a woman's killing at her home, the chopping up of her body into pieces, and stuffing them into the fridge, where her horrified family found them, has been identified, Bengaluru Police Commissioner B. Dayananda said on Monday. Addressing media persons, he said: "In connection with the murder case, we have got clear information on the accused who has committed the crime. The investigation is under progress for tracking and arresting the accused person."

It has come to light that the accused hails from a different state and he was residing in Bengaluru, the city police chief said, adding that after he is arrested, he will be subjected to a thorough investigation regarding the case. "We can't provide more information as it might help the accused," he added.

Meanwhile, the police have questioned Ashraf from Nelamangala, after the family and husband of the deceased Mahalaxmi had suspected his role, along with three others, in the case. However, he has been released after questioning. Hemant Das, the deceased's husband, on Monday, said that the family is taking the ashes of Mahalaxmi's body to immerse in Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu. "We are doing this to ensure Mahalaxmi's soul rests in peace as she had a painful death," he said.

Asked about the suspect in the crime, he stated that they have no idea and the police have not given any information to the family in this regard yet. The Vyalikaval police had taken away the fridge from the residence of the deceased in a goods vehicle, with an official saying that it would be sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL).

Mahalaxmi, 26, who had hailed from Tripura and living alone here, was murdered at her home, her body brutally chopped into 59 pieces, and the body pieces stuffed into her fridge, where her horrified family discovered her fate on last Saturday. Preliminary investigations suggested that the body was chopped into more than 30 pieces. However, the post-mortem report ascertained that the killer had chopped her into 59 pieces.

The incident was reported from Veeranna Bhavana near Pipeline Road, located within the limits of Vyalikaval police station of the city. The incident came to light when neighbours noticed a foul smell emanating from the victim's house for two days and informed her relatives. Mahalaxmi's mother and sister came to her house on Saturday, entered it to come across the shocking scene, and raised an alarm.

A police team, which arrived at the scene, was shocked to see the body parts of the victims stuffed into the 165-litre fridge. Though the refrigerator was operational, the body had been infested by maggots, which were moving in and out. A suitcase had also been found near the fridge. The police suspect that Mahalaxmi was murdered around the beginning of the month and her body was cut into pieces by a sharp-edged weapon like a knife or a sword.

Mahalaxmi, who worked at a popular mall and used to leave in the morning and come back late at night, had started living in this house five to six months ago. As per residents of the area, she lived alone and did not mingle much with her neighbours. For a few days, her brother had been staying with her. The police have also found that she was married and had a son, but lived separately.

Special teams, comprising police personnel from the Vyalikaval, Sheshadripuram, and High Grounds police stations, were set up to probe the crime and had started gathering details of the suspicious persons. All the persons who were in contact with the deceased woman were questioned and inputs gathered from the family members.

As of September 2, Mahalaxmi's mobile was switched off, police have gathered information on who had made calls to her and also on messages sent to her. They have also collected CCTV footage of the neighbourhood and the movements of persons from her house. Police are also waiting for the post-mortem report.

A similar case was reported from New Delhi's Chattarpur in 2022, where Shraddha Walkar, 27, was allegedly killed by her boyfriend and live-in partner Aaftab Amin Poonawala, 29. The accused had dismembered her body into 35 pieces, and put them into a big fridge before taking them out for disposal in the neighbouring forested area.