Mahalakshmi murder: Man suspected of killing Bengaluru woman, chopping up body in 59 pieces found hanging in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: A man suspected of killing a 29-year-old woman in Bangalore and stuffing her dismembered body in a fridge before fleeing to his hometown allegedly died by suicide in Odisha’s Bhadrak town on Wednesday, police said.

The manhunt launched by Karnataka police in Odisha to arrest Mukti Ranjan Ray, 30, for the brutal murder of 29-year-old Mahalakshmi on September 21, met an unexpected setback. Ray, 30, allegedly hanged himself from a tree, fearing arrest, police said. Sources said Ray left behind a suicide note, purportedly confessing to the gruesome crime in Bangalore. After a post-mortem examination, his body was handed over to Bengaluru police.

“We strongly suspect that he ended his life fearing arrest in connection with the Bengaluru murder. Bengaluru police had been closing in on the suspect in Bhadrak and Balasore districts for the last three days. We extended all necessary assistance to them,” Bhadrak SP Varun Guntupalli told TOI.

According to police, Ray was a resident of the Dhusuri area and had been working in a clothing store in Bengaluru. Bengaluru police are trying to gather more information about Ray’s family background and other details from his village.

Ray’s family members claimed he reached Bhadrak on September 24. He left home early in the morning and was found hanging from a tree at Kuleipada village, a few hundred meters from his home, police sources said.

The maggot-infested body of the woman, identified as Mahalakshmi, was discovered by her mother and elder sister at her Vyalikaval home on Saturday. Earlier in the day, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara had said the police received a tip-off about the suspect’s presence in Odisha. “We have taken the case very seriously, as the murder has shaken the entire Bengaluru,” he said.

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