Bengaluru fridge horror: Odisha man chopped Mahalakshmi's body day after murder

Mukti Ranjan Ray fatally attacked Mahalakshmi, at her home in Bengaluru’s Vyalikaval.

New details have emerged in the Mahalakshmi murder case, revealing that the man who allegedly killed her and dismembered her body into 59 pieces in Bengaluru had purchased a heavy-bladed knife from a local store on September 3, according to police, Deccan Herald reported.

Mahalakshmi's body, cut into over 30 pieces, was stuffed in a refrigerator, the police said.

As per the report, Mukti Ranjan Ray fatally attacked Mahalakshmi, at her home in Bengaluru’s Vyalikaval. After committing the murder, Ray purchased a knife from a local shop, which he then used to dismember her body, according to the police.

Mahalakshmi’s body was found stuffed in the refrigerator of the house on September 21.

Ray's Confession

On September 26, Deputy commissioner of police (Central), Shekhar H Tekkannavar, said in Bengaluru that a man was found hanging from a tree on Wednesday morning.

A purported suicide note recovered from the scene, according to the Odisha Police, revealed that Muktiranjan Pratap Ray had confessed to the crime.

According to the police, Ray killed Mahalakshmi following a heated argument at her home. Investigators are currently awaiting the forensic report to determine whether any chemicals were used to clean up the blood. The police were able to trace the knife to the shop after recovering its plastic wrapping.

Mahalakshmi’s murder shocked the city, drawing parallels with the infamous Shraddha Walkar case from Delhi in 2022, where the victim was also dismembered and her body stored in a refrigerator.

Authorities address women’s safety

Addressing concerns about women’s safety in Bengaluru, Karnataka Home Miniter G Parameshwara noted that several precautions were already in place, including the Nirbhaya programme and the installation of CCTV cameras.

"We are very careful and take many precautions, but we need to put in more effort to ensure women’s safety," he said, assuring that further measures would be taken.