Woman's murder shocks Bengaluru; body cut into 30 pieces and kept in fridge as gruesome reminder of Shraddha Walkar's murder

A 29-year-old woman was found murdered in her house in Bengaluru. Her body was dismembered and kept in a refrigerator. The incident was uncovered on Saturday when the victim's family entered her house after being informed about a foul smell by the house owner. The victim was identified as H Mahalakshmi Das, an employee at a mall and a resident of Pipeline Road in Vyalikaval.

The discovery was made when Mahalakshmi's mother and elder sister along with the house owner Jayaram opened the apartment door and found her decomposed body in the refrigerator. The police were immediately informed.

Mahalakshmi's family was originally from Nepal and had settled in Nelamangala. On Saturday, a neighbour informed Jayaram about the smell, and he contacted Mahalakshmi's family. When they entered the apartment, they found that the front door was locked from the outside and insects were visible. The family opened the refrigerator, discovered the body and fainted in shock.

Mahalakshmi had been living in the flat for five months. She had previously separated from her husband, who lives in Nelamangala with their child. Police are investigating the possibility of multiple killers and believe the murder may have taken place around September 2, the day Mahalakshmi's mobile phone was last active.

“It is surprising that none of her family members have tried to contact her for so long. We will question them about this,” said an officer. The police are checking call recordings for further clues.

The stench at the crime scene initially led some neighbors to believe that it was a dead animal. Due to the strong smell, police officers entered the crime scene wearing masks. A neighbor, Susheela, mentioned that Mahalakshmi did not have much contact with her neighbors and they did not know that she was married. Some neighbors noticed a man who regularly picked Mahalakshmi up from work and dropped her back home. Her cousin Sunil also stated that she did not have much contact with him. Police suspect that the killer was known to the victim as no valuables were taken from her house, suggesting that the motive was not theft.