Bengaluru murder: Prime suspect identified, he is from West Bengal, says Home Minister

Talking about women's safety, Parameshwara said, 'We have already taken a lot of precautions for women's safety in Bengaluru. We are very careful about it.'

Bengaluru: Bengaluru police have identified the prime suspect, who killed a 29-year-old woman and chopped her body, to be from West Bengal, Home Minister G Parameshwara said on Monday.

“Police have already collected a lot of information and several clues,” Parameshwara told reporters. “One individual has been identified and they say he is the one — but unless we collect more information, we can’t really say. They say he is from West Bengal. He will be secured as early as possible.”

The maggot-infested body parts of the deceased woman, Mahalakshmi, were discovered by her mother and elder sister in her Vyalikaval home on Saturday, sending shockwaves through the city.

Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda also said that the prime suspect was identified and he was from another state but stayed in Bengaluru.

“The prime suspect who is likely to have committed this ghastly offence has been identified,” Dayananda said.

“We are yet to apprehend him. Once he is arrested and interrogated, we will be able to provide further details. The autopsy was completed and we are awaiting the report.”

Four teams led by inspectors have been analysing CCTV feed, call records and other technical data, examining witnesses and taking their statements. The investigation is overseen by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central).

A source close to the probe said as of now, it is suspected that the prime suspect was known closely to the woman. “All angles are being probed, including whether it was a crime of passion,” the police source said.

Suspect may have used a cleaver

Another source said that the suspect may have used a cleaver or a similar knife with a heavy and sharp blade.

“With the way the body was dismembered, it appears that some sort of a meat cleaver was used. It is just a hunch. We are yet to recover the murder weapon,” the officer said.

Another thing that’s troubling the police is the fact that blood was not found in other areas of the house, except near the refrigerator.

“If the butchery occurred in the house, there should’ve been thick stains of blood. Unless a chemical was used, it is not easy to get rid of the stains. So there is also a suspicion that the murder may have occurred at a different place and the body was transported later here after dismemberment,” the officer quoted above said.

On Monday, the police recovered the refrigerator from the house and sent it to the forensic team for analysis.