GBA notice leads to decomposed body discovery, husband arrested for murder

Greater Bengaluru Authority notice to owners of vacant sites to keep their properties clean led police to a decomposed woman’s body and, weeks later, to the arrest of her husband

A Greater Bengaluru Authority notice to owners of vacant sites to keep their properties clean led the Sampigehalli police to a decomposed woman’s body and, weeks later, to the arrest of her husband for allegedly killing her.

The body of Anusuya Behera, 28, was found wrapped in a bedsheet on a vacant plot during a cleaning drive

The body of Anusuya Behera, 28, was found wrapped in a bedsheet on a vacant plot during a cleaning drive. Police arrested her husband, Sagar Chandra Rawat, 32, a native of Odisha, alleging that he strangled her following a quarrel over his salary and household expenses.

The couple, both from Udayapura village in Kakatpura of Odisha’s Puri district, were in a relationship before marrying against their families’ wishes on September 9, 2025. They came to Bengaluru about six months ago and were working at different hotels.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) G K Mithun said the couple frequently quarrelled over financial matters. According to the police, an argument broke out when Rawat returned home on August 11. He allegedly strangled Anusuya and kept her body inside their house for three days as he was unable to dispose of it.

“Both were natives of Udayapura village, Kakatpura, in Puri district, Odisha, and came to the city six months ago to live here. The accused strangled his wife following an argument over his salary and giving less money for household expenses. He kept the body in the house for three days as he was unable to dispose of it. On August 14 at around 3 am, he wrapped the decomposed body in a bedsheet and threw it at a vacant site near his house. The incident came to light when the site owner tried to clean the site following orders of the GBA,” Mithun said.

The woman’s body remained unidentified for nearly a month because of its condition. Police formed special teams and checked nearby hotels and paying guest accommodations, but the initial inquiries did not establish her identity.

Investigators then documented the clothes found on the body and photographed a pendant and bangles. A clothing tag found during the examination provided the first breakthrough.

“We carefully documented the clothes found on the woman and photographed the pendant she was wearing and the bangles on her hand. During this examination, our team noticed a clothing tag, which eventually proved to be the key breakthrough in the case,” Mithun said.

Police traced the tag to a shopping outlet and obtained details of the garment’s purchase. The information helped them identify the woman and led investigators to her husband, who was arrested from his house in Bengaluru.

“The purchase information helped us narrow down the identity of the woman. The investigation subsequently led us to her husband, Sagar Chandra Rawat, who was arrested from his house in Bengaluru. The couple were in love and married on September 9, 2025, against the wishes of their family members and came to Bengaluru to live six months ago,” Mithun said.

Anusuya’s family members have identified the body. Police, however, plan to establish her identity through scientific evidence because of the extent of decomposition.

“The woman’s family members have identified the deceased. Nevertheless, considering the condition of the body, we want to establish the identity through scientific evidence as well. A DNA examination will therefore be conducted,” the DCP said.