Bengaluru murder accused was victim’s colleague, partner: Cops

The man, whose name the police did not reveal, allegedly stabbed the woman, Mahalakshmi (29), on the suspicion that she was involved with another man, said a Bengaluru police officer.

The woman whose dismembered body was found stuffed inside a fridge in a Bengaluru flat last week was likely killed by a 31-year-old colleague who she was in a relationship with, police officers involved in the investigation said, a possible breakthrough in a case that has stunned the nation.

The victim and the suspect worked at the same mall and had been friends since 2023. (PTI)

The man, whose name the police did not reveal, allegedly stabbed the woman, Mahalakshmi (29), on the suspicion that she was involved with another man, said a Bengaluru police officer who asked not to be named.

The man reportedly confessed to his brother, who is one of the three people who Bengaluru police have detained in connection with the case, which came to light on Saturday, when her mother found 22 pieces of her corpse in a fridge in their Malleswaram flat.

According to the officer cited above, Mahalakshmi and the suspect worked at the same mall and had been friends since 2023, when the woman who was estranged from her husband and moved to the Karnataka capital.

“The two started seeing each other in late 2023,” said the officer.

The latest disclosures come after the suspect’s brother told police his sibling had confessed to the crime over a phone call and told him he was fleeing the city. Police teams have now fanned out to West Bengal, where the suspect’s cellphone location ended, and Odisha, where the man hails from.

Relations between the two soured when the man began to suspect Mahalakshmi was involved with another person.

“He allegedly confronted her, demanding she end the affair. A heated argument ensued, which, police believe, led to the murder,” said the officer.

He confessed to his brother soon after committing the crime, said police.

“Despite the brother’s attempts to convince him to surrender, the suspect fled the city,” he said.

Call records from the victim’s phone detailed that Mahalakshmi and him had frequent conversations. Their colleagues also corroborated that the two were together.

Police have reached out to the suspect’s parents in Odisha for potential leads, though officers said it did not appear he had returned to his village.

“We hope to arrest him soon,” said the officer.