“The floor was sticky with dried blood, and inside we saw the head placed in the lowest tray, other body parts in the middle shelves, and the legs on top of the fridge,” said the family of the woman whose dismembered body was found in a refrigerator at a Bengaluru house on Saturday.
The woman, identified as Mahalaxmi, was found dead by the police on September 21. The Bengaluru police have revealed they found more than 50 pieces of her body.
The Bengaluru police commissioner, B Dayananda, on Monday said that they have identified the prime suspect who committed the ghastly act and have sent teams to apprehend the culprit.
“When he is caught, and the interrogation is completed, we will be able to share details on the case. The prime suspect has been identified. We only have to physically arrest him. At this stage if we reveal any information, it will affect the investigation and benefit the accused,” the commissioner said.
He also mentioned that the prime accused behind this murder is not a native of Karnataka but had been residing in Bengaluru. Dayananda reiterated that they would not want to reveal any information that would affect the ongoing investigation and impede the arrest of the man behind the act.
How Mahalaxmi’s Family Found Her Maggot-Infested Body
According to police sources, they suspect the murder could have taken place at least 15 days ago. This coincided with Mahalaxmi’s mother, Meena Rana, stating that her daughter’s phone had been switched off since September 2.
The mutilated body was found to be maggot-infested when Hemant, Mahalaxmi’s estranged husband, along with other family members, checked the flat from which the smell was emanating. According to statements Hemant, who worked in a mobile accessory shop in Nelamangala, gave to the police, he would visit Mahalaxmi with their daughter at her Vyalikaval home every 15 days so that she could spend time with her.
Mahalaxmi’s sister stayed in the same building. When the flat’s owner asked her to check on her sister, she, along with her mother, called Hemant to the house and used the spare keys to open the house.
Speaking to the media, Hemant, along with Mahalaxmi’s mother Meena and her sister Lakshmi (called Shahida Bano after marriage), recalled the horrific scene when they opened the house. They found clothes strewn everywhere, dried blood on the floor, and as they saw maggots crawling, they traced the smell to the refrigerator.
Meena, the victim’s mother, and her elder daughter, ran out of the house in horror and informed her son-in-law Syed Imran, who fainted and then called the police. The crime scene was so brutal that even the police officers who entered the house struggled to handle the stench and the rotting body parts, explained a senior police officer.
A suitcase was also found open at the scene of the crime. The police suspect that the killer initially tried to stuff the body into it, and, after being unsuccessful, decided to use the fridge instead.
In her complaint to the police, Meena recalled how Mahalaxmi, after separating from her husband, began living alone in October 2023. At first, she stayed with her younger brother, Hukum Singh, and his wife for the first 15 days, but after a domestic dispute, her brother moved to another locality in Bengaluru called Gunjur with his family.
“My daughter called my husband on September 2, 2024. at around 9 am and told him she would come to see us. After that call, we received no further contact from her and could not reach her,” she said in her complaint.
The police, tracing Mahalaxmi’s routine, have learned that she would leave for work each day around 9:30 am and return after 10 pm. They also have CCTV footage of a male friend who could often be seen dropping her off at her residence. Another officer working on the case told News18 that the victim maintained a low profile and only interacted with one immediate neighbour. They are also questioning another individual who was in regular contact with the victim via phone.
“The way the body has been dismembered indicates the use of a sharp object. It also looks like a strong hand could have done it. We are still investigating,” said an officer who requested anonymity.
In another twist to the case, Mahalaxmi’s estranged husband had filed a police complaint against her in February this year after an altercation at their Nelamangala residence.
“She had come to me asking for money, and I told her I didn’t have the amount she wanted. We argued, and she was very upset. During the argument, she bit my hand. So, I went to the police and filed a case against her, seeking restraint,” Hemant told the media after recording his statement with the police.
Investigation Underway
Police sources said they had been questioning three men, who were allegedly the victim’s male friends. They have also been questioning several others, including her estranged husband, Hemant Das. She had separated from him last October, and they have a four-year-old daughter from their marriage.
The Bengaluru police have been scrutinising CCTV cameras in Bengaluru’s Vyalikaval, the area where Mahalaxmi was found murdered on Saturday, after the flat’s owner complained of a foul smell emanating from the house.
The three teams of the Bengaluru police department deployed to investigate and track the killer have been trying to piece together the timeline and cause of Mahalaxmi’s gruesome murder. They also face the challenge of piecing together the body parts of the victim, which her attacker cut into more than 50 pieces and stuffed into a 165-litre refrigerator.
“We are in the process of determining the motive for the crime. Investigations are ongoing. Those who were close to her are also suspects in this case. However, we request people not to speculate.”
The victim, originally from Nepal, was brought up along with her three siblings in Nelamangala, on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The 29-year-old salesgirl worked in a popular city mall.
Similarities with Shraddha Walkar Case
The gruesome murders of Shraddha Walkar and Mahalaxmi have three things in common: both were brutally killed, their bodies cut into several pieces and stuffed into a refrigerator, they were around the same age, and their killings were acts of blinding anger or revenge.
In the Walkar case, the police stated that, after committing the heinous crime, the accused Aftab allegedly disposed of Shraddha’s body parts at 18 different locations. He was finally arrested six months after the murder took place. He pleaded not guilty, but in May 2023, a Delhi court said that a prima facie case under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing the disappearance of evidence) was made out against Aftab.
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