Report: Bengaluru woman's colleague identified as prime suspect in refrigerator murder case | Bengaluru

According to a News18 report, police sources said Mukti was against Mahalakshmi's relationship with another man, whose identity, however, remains secret.

Earlier this week, Mahalakshmi's estranged husband Hemanth Das reportedly accused a man named Ashraf of involvement in the murder, claiming that Ashraf, who hails from Uttarakhand, had an extramarital affair with Mahalakshmi.

Mahalakshmi, a 29-year-old saleswoman, had not been seen since early September. On September 21, her dismembered body was discovered in the refrigerator of her apartment after neighbors complained of a foul smell. Police said her body had been dismembered into 59 pieces, leading them to suspect a carefully planned crime.

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara confirmed that the prime suspect was from Odisha but was living in Bengaluru before fleeing, the report said. Authorities are currently searching for Mukti near the Odisha-West Bengal border, but his exact whereabouts are still unknown, it added.

Further investigations are underway. Police are studying fingerprints found at the crime scene and awaiting the results of toxicology tests to determine whether Mahalakshmi was poisoned. Her family is devastated. Her mother last saw her on the Rakshabandhan festival and her sister is demanding justice for the gruesome act.

Hemanth, who had separated from Mahalakshmi, continues to point the finger at Ashraf and believes that his wife's relationship with him was a key factor in the crime. However, the police have not yet confirmed this claim.