Mahalaxmi was found murdered in Bengaluru. (News18)
The Bengaluru Police has formed six teams to investigate the alleged murder of a 29-year-old woman, whose body parts were found stuffed inside a refrigerator.
As more details regarding the suspected murder of a 29-year-old woman, Mahalakshmi, in Bengaluru come to the fore, the police on Monday said they have identified the prime suspect in the case, but were yet to arrest him. The police also revealed they found 59 pieces of the woman’s body, inside the refrigerator of her one-bedroom apartment in Malleshwaram.
The prime suspect hails from Odisha and was residing in Bengaluru, said police sources. He is believed to be now in West Bengal and efforts are being made to arrest him, said Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara.
Addressing a press conference earlier in the day, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B Dayananda said, “The case is being investigated from all angles. The prime suspect has been identified and efforts are underway to arrest him. He hails from another state, but is staying in Bengaluru. We can’t give more information as of now as it may help the accused.”
Separately, the police said they found a blue suitcase near the fridge in which the woman’s body was found in pieces. With the recovery of the suitcase, the police were probing if the assailant wanted to move the body out of the place, or if the same was transported from elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the post-mortem of the woman was conducted and its report was awaited.
BENGALURU SHOCKER
On September 21, locals in the vicinity of a house in Bengaluru’s Malleshwaram complained of a foul smell emanating from the place. Later, the dismembered body of the woman was recovered from a refrigerator in the house.
A police team, a dog squad and forensic experts visited the house and revealed the woman was allegedly murdered nearly five days before her body was found.
As the investigations continue, the Bengaluru Police said it has formed six teams to crack the case. A few teams were also sent to other states for leads.
A First Information Report (FIR) in the case has been registered, news agency ANI reported.
According to the fresh details, Mahalakshmi’s family hails from Nepal but had shifted to Karnataka’s Nelamangala 35 years back.
The woman was born and raised in Bengaluru, it was revealed.
She was living separately from her husband, alone in the single-bedroom house. Her husband, Hemanth, also reached the spot as he came to know about the incident.
While Mahalakshmi lived in Malleshwaram and worked at a mall, her husband worked at a hermitage away from the city.
NCW URGES TO EXPEDITE PROBE
Taking note of the incident, the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Monday directed the Karnataka Police to expedite the arrest of all involved.
It also said that the police department must “ensure a thorough, time-bound investigation”, and sought a detailed report within three days.
