Home Minister: Suspect identified in murder of 29-year-old Bengaluru woman

Police officers outside the house in Vyalikaval in Bengaluru where a woman's mutilated body was found in a refrigerator on September 21, 2024.

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said the main accused in the murder case of 29-year-old Mahalakshmi has been identified. The suspect is hiding in West Bengal, he said on September 23.

The perpetrator had cut Makalakshmi's body into several pieces and stuffed them into the refrigerator in her house in Vyalikaval in Bengaluru before locking the house from outside and then disappearing.

Four special teams have been formed to investigate the case. They have identified the suspect and are now searching for him, the sources said.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner B. Dayananda confirmed the incident but refused to divulge further details.

The deceased's husband, who was questioned by the police, had expressed the suspicion that a person from their neighbourhood with whom the deceased was allegedly having an affair was involved in the incident.

After her husband and child separated, Mahalakshmi stayed with her brother Hukum Singh and his wife for a few days. However, after an argument with Mahalakshmi, they moved to Gunjur. Since then, she has been living alone. The victim worked in a shopping center. She had been living in a rented house for the last five months.

The murder came to light on Saturday, September 21, when a neighbor noticed a foul smell coming from the house and called Hukum Singh.

Hukum Singh called his mother Meena Rana and sister Lakshmi. He told them to check on Mahalakshmi. With the help of a neighbour, the mother and daughter got a spare key to the house. They found the house ransacked and blood dripping from the refrigerator. When they opened the refrigerator, they found Mahalakshmi's dismembered body parts inside.

The police suspect that the murder may have taken place two weeks ago, as the body parts were badly decomposed and worms were found in them.