Bengaluru Fridge Horror: Main Accused Found Dead In Odisha, Cops Recover Note

Mahalakshmi was allegedly putting pressure on the accused to marry her. (Photo: X)

Bengaluru Murder: The key suspect in the horrific killing of a woman in Bengaluru was found dead in Odisha. The man died allegedly by hanging in Odisha on Wednesday, according to police. He was suspected of being involved in the brutal killing of a 29-year-old woman whose dismembered body was found in a refrigerator in Bengaluru.

Police said the man was in a relationship with the victim, Mahalakshmi, and killed her following frequent arguments between them over her insisting to get married. The accused was identified as Muktiranjan Pratap Ray (31). He was found dead under the Dhusuri Police Station limits in the Bhadrak district of Odisha, they said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Shekhar H. Tekkannavar said in Bengaluru that the man was found hanging from a tree on Wednesday morning, as reported by news agency PTI. According to Odisha police, a purported suicide note was found on the spot. In the note, the suspect had confessed to the crime. According to police in Bengaluru, the suspect and the woman were working in a garment shop, where they met and became friends. The two were in a relationship.

Mahalakshmi was allegedly putting pressure on him to marry her. This led to constant arguments between the two, which resulted in an altercation. Apparently the accused was irked over this. He was allegedly very short-tempered. He killed Mahalakshmi and later dismembered her body, police said, citing preliminary investigation.

Giving details about the woman's murder, a senior police officer said that Ray called up his younger brother after killing her and told him to vacate the rented house immediately, but when asked for the reason to do so, the deceased told his brother he could not communicate to him over the phone and would meet him at home and tell him, a senior police officer said.

When the accused's younger brother was interrogated, he revealed that after killing the woman, when Ray returned to his rented home here, he confessed to his brother about the murder and said he could not stay in the city anymore and was leaving for their native place.

"With the help of technical analysis and call record details, the accused was identified, and his mobile location was initially traced to West Bengal, but later he switched it off. However, with the help of technical surveillance, his location was traced to a village in Odisha where we sent our teams to nab him," he added, as quoted by PTI. He changed places in Odisha. Police are waiting for the final postmortem report to ascertain the exact cause of death.

The maggot-infested body of Mahalakshmi, chopped into several pieces and stuffed into the fridge, was found by her mother and elder sister at her Vyalikaval home on Saturday. On Sunday, the estranged husband of the deceased woman expressed suspicion about the involvement of a man known to Mahalakshmi, who had been living alone, in her neighbourhood.

(With PTI Inputs)