Bengaluru, 25 Sept

City police on Wednesday claimed that the woman, whose dismembered body was found in a fridge in Bengaluru’s Malleswaram flat, was likely murdered by her colleague. The colleague had allegedly opposed her closeness to another man, whose name had not been disclosed by the police.

Police said that Mukti, the victim Mahalakshmi's colleague, is the prime suspect in the case.

Earlier this week, Mahalakshmi’s estranged husband said he suspected a man named Ashraf was involved in the murder as he and the victim were allegedly involved in an extramarital affair with him. The husband claimed that the Ashraf hailed from Uttarakhand.

The maggot-infested body of Mahalakshmi, a 29-year-old saleswoman, was found in the refrigerator at her one-bedroom apartment in Malleshwaram on 21 September . According to police, it was chopped into 59 pieces.

Home Minister G Parameshwara confirmed that the suspect was a native of Odisha and had been living in the City before fleeing after the crime. Four police teams have been sent to Odisha and West Bengal to arrest the suspect.

“It is just a matter of a day or two before the accused is nabbed as he is on the run and has been changing his location,” he said.

Mahalakshmi’s family is awaiting toxicology tests to see if the deceased was poisoned before her body was chopped. -Salar News