26 september 2024 : In the Bengaluru murder case, Muktiranjan Pratap Ray, the primary suspect in the gruesome killing of 29-year-old Mahalakshmi, was found dead in Odisha, allegedly by hanging. His body was discovered near the Dhusuri Police Station in Bhadrak district.
The Odisha Police revealed that Ray, 31, had been in a relationship with Mahalakshmi and killed her after frequent arguments over her insistence on marriage. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Shekhar H Tekkannavar reported that a man was found hanging from a tree on Wednesday morning, and a purported suicide note indicated that Ray confessed to the murder.
According to the Bengaluru Police, Mahalakshmi and Ray had met while working in a garment shop and had developed a relationship. However, she was reportedly pressuring him to marry her, leading to frequent disputes. Initial investigations suggest that Ray, known for his temper, killed Mahalakshmi during one of these arguments and subsequently dismembered her body.
Bhadrak SP Varun Guntupalli stated that a diary belonging to Ray was recovered, in which he confessed to chopping Mahalakshmi’s body into 59 pieces after killing her.
Following the murder, Ray allegedly called his younger brother, instructing him to vacate their rented house immediately, stating he would explain in person rather than over the phone. During interrogation, the brother revealed that Ray had confessed the crime to him and planned to leave the city for their hometown.
The police were able to locate Ray through technical analysis and call records, initially tracing his mobile to West Bengal, but later determining his whereabouts in a village in Odisha, where they sent teams to apprehend him. They are currently awaiting the final post-mortem report to determine the exact cause of death.
Earlier in the day, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara noted that police had received information regarding the suspect’s presence in Odisha and dispatched teams to capture him.
Mahalakshmi’s dismembered body, infested with maggots and stuffed into a refrigerator, was discovered by her mother and sister at her home in Vyalikaval on Saturday. The deceased woman’s estranged husband expressed suspicion about the involvement of a man known to Mahalakshmi, who had been living alone in her neighborhood.
