Her maggot-infested body had been cut into around 30 pieces, with her head found on the bottom shelf.
The gruesome discovery was made after neighbours alerted the landlord about a foul smell coming from the apartment.
Mahalakshmi’s mother and sister, who lived in the same building, entered with the landlord and found her remains.
“The floor was sticky with dried blood, and inside we saw the head placed in the lowest tray, other body parts in the middle shelves, and the legs on top of the fridge,” the family recounted.
Mahalakshmi had been living alone for five months after separating from her husband, Hemant Das, with whom she had a daughter.
Investigators found an open suitcase at the scene, leading them to believe the killer tried but failed to fit the body inside and then used the fridge instead.
Police estimate that the murder occurred around 2 Sept, the last time Mahalakshmi’s phone was active.
“It is surprising that none of her family members tried to contact her for so long,” said a police officer. “We will question them on this.”
Source: Hindustan Times
On Monday (23 Sept), Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda confirmed they had identified a prime suspect but withheld further details to avoid hindering the investigation.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara also stated that authorities are exploring the possibility of multiple people being involved.
According to a News18 report, police have reviewed CCTV footage showing a male friend regularly dropping Mahalakshmi off at her apartment.
They are also interrogating another individual who was frequently in contact with her over the phone.
Mahalakshmi’s body was released to her family following the postmortem examination.
Meanwhile, a Nelamangala police officer revealed that Mahalakshmi had filed a complaint against her estranged husband in February, accusing him of assault.
Mahalakshmi’s estranged husband, Hemant, too, filed a complaint against her, accusing her of having an affair with another man.
Hemant told the media that he suspects her lover, Ashraf, a barber, in the murder.
He revealed that the couple had separated nine months ago due to Mahalakshmi’s alleged affair.
Speaking to the media, Hemant said:
They both had an extra-marital affair which led to the problem and I discovered it somewhere in April-May last year. For the last nine months, we were separated and I do not know whether she was in contact with the man… For the first four months, my daughter stayed with her (Mahalakshmi) and later she lived with me in Nelamangala.
Hemant had previously filed a complaint against Ashraf, resulting in a court order barring him from entering Bengaluru.
Also read: Dismembered remains of missing Chinese TikTok influencer found in Thailand
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Featured image adapted from India Today, Unsplash for illustrative purposes only
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