Police and forensic team examine the house where the body was found.
Credit: DH photo
Bengaluru: In a ghastly incident, the dismembered and decomposed body of a 29-year-old woman was found inside the refrigerator of her house in Central Bengaluru on Saturday. Police officers said that they managed to recover around 28 body parts till the evening.
The police identified the deceased as Mahalakshmi, a native of Nelamangala on the city outskirts. Her family was originally from Nepal, but she was born and brought up in the city and was fluent in Kannada, an officer said.
The murder came to light when Mahalakshmi’s neighbours were alarmed by a foul smell emanating from her rented house near Vyalikaval.
Mahalakshmi has been staying alone at the one-bedroom house on the first floor of the G+3 building for five months. She worked at a garment shop in the city, as per the police. The deceased family was then informed.
When Mahalakshmi’s mother and sister arrived, they opened the fridge and to their shock found the body parts stacked inside the compartments and blood was dripping, according a neighbour.
Neighbours and several locals gathered at the spot as they heard wailing from the house.
The jurisdictional Vyalikaval police arrived at the spot after they were altered around 2.30 pm and began the probe. Scene of crime (SOCO) officers, dog squad and other personnel were deployed and the body parts were sent for forensic examination, a police officer said, adding that a case has been registered.
Police had cordoned off the crime scene as panic spread in the quiet neighbourhood and people gathered in large numbers just outside the house.
Murder likely over a week ago
N Satheesh Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police (West), said that prima facie it appeared the murder must’ve occurred four or five days ago.
A senior police officer told DH that the body was highly decomposed and was infested with maggots. “We will get a clear idea once the forensic examination is complete,” the officer said.
A source close to the probe told DH that investigators had identified a suspect. However, police officers refused to divulge his identity or confirm the suspicion as the probe had just launched.
“We are probing from all the angles,” a senior officer said refusing to comment further.
Sources said the investigators recovered a phone said to be Mahalakshmi's, which was switched off on September 2. Police have begun analysing the call records.
Estranged from husband
Investigators the DH spoke with revealed that Mahalakshmi and her husband Hemant Das were separated. They have a four-year-old girl child.
“Due to some dispute with her husband, the victim decided to move out of the house and lived alone,” a senior officer said. "They had married five years ago."
While Das, who worked in a mobile accessories store, continued to live in his house in Nelamangala along with the child, Mahalakshmi moved to the house in Bengaluru.
A woman who identified as the deceased's neighbour said Mahalakshmi seldom interacted with others in the locality.
"She used to come at around 10.30 pm and leave around 9.30 am. A few times, we saw someone who she claimed was her brother," Mary told the media.