BENGALURU, 27 SEPT

The man suspected of murdering a woman whose chopped-up body was found inside a fridge at her home in Bengaluru flat allegedly travelled 1,550km from Bengaluru to Odisha in a day after the murder.

City Police Commissioner B Dayananda on Friday revealed that Mukti Ranjan Ray, the suspect in the Mahalaksmi murder case, travelled on his motorcycle, passing through Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal before reaching his hometown, Bonipur, near Bhadrak in Odisha, after committing the murder.”

The body of Mahalakshmi, 29, was found chopped into 59 pieces in a refrigerator in her residence on 21 September in Malleshwaram. Ray was found hanging from a tree in his village on Wednesday.

Dayananda suggested that the crime might have been related to a marriage issue, though the exact motive has yet to be established. He said, “A suicide note was discovered at the scene of Ray's suicide.”

"Before leaving Bengaluru, Ray visited his brother in Hebbagodi, confessing the murder and instructing him to vacate their shared accommodation without informing anyone. After reaching his village, he reportedly admitted the crime to his mother before taking his own life after a final meeting with his parents,” he said.

The cop claimed that the body was in the refrigerator for 18 days. Dayananada said that Mahalakshmi was known for her temper, and both she and Ray had filed complaints of physical assaults in the past. He said, “The victim’s husband, Hemanth, had also filed a complaint at the Nelamangala police station, accusing her of biting him during an argument and demanding money.”

The handwritten suicide note left behind in Odia by Ray provided some insight into his state of mind. He confessed to killing Mahalakshmi, stating, "I did it. I killed her. I was fed up with her. Her constant fights and demands for money were very frustrating”.

The suspect also claimed that he had spent Rs 7 to 8 lakh on her and still she continued to demand the money from him. -Salar News