Bengaluru woman’s colleague identified as main suspect in murder case: Report

In a significant development, the Bengaluru city police have identified a colleague of Mahalakshmi, named Mukti, as the prime suspect in her murder. The gruesome crime wherein Mahalakshmi’s body was found chopped into as many as 59 pieces and stuffed into a refrigerator in a one bedroom apartment in Bengaluru sent shockwaves across the nation.
According to police sources, Mukti opposed Mahalakshmi’s relationship with another man, though the identity of this person remains undisclosed, a report by News18 said.
Earlier this week, Mahalakshmi’s estranged husband, Hemanth Das, reportedly accused a man named Ashraf of being involved in the murder. He claimed that Ashraf, who is from Uttarakhand, had been in an extramarital relationship with Mahalakshmi.
Mahalakshmi, a 29-year-old saleswoman, had not been seen since early September. On September 21, her dismembered body was discovered in her apartment’s refrigerator after neighbours complained of foul smell. Police revealed that her body had been cut into 59 pieces, leading them to suspect a deeply planned crime.
The Karnataka Home Minister, G Parameshwara, confirmed the main suspect was from Odisha but had been living in Bengaluru before fleeing, according to the report. Authorities are now searching for Mukti near the Odisha-West Bengal border, but his exact whereabouts are still unknown, it added.
Further investigation is ongoing, with police examining fingerprints found at the crime scene and awaiting the results of toxicology tests to determine if Mahalakshmi was poisoned. Her family remains devastated, with her mother last seeing her during the Rakshabandhan festival, and her sister demanding justice for the horrific act.
Hemanth, who was estranged from Mahalakshmi, continues to point fingers at Ashraf, believing that his wife’s relationship with him was a key factor in the crime. However, police have not yet confirmed this claim.