The prime suspect in the brutal murder case of a woman in Bengaluru, whose dismembered body was found inside a fridge, was on Wednesday found dead in Odisha.
The man, identified as Muktiranjan Pratap Rai, was found hanging from a tree near Bhuinpur village in Odisha’s Bhadrak district. The local police have also recovered a suicide note, Indian Express reported.
A bag, notebook, and a scooty were recovered from the crime scene. The body was sent for post-mortem.
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Earlier on Saturday, police had found Mahalakshmi’s body, cut into several pieces and stored inside a fridge at her residence in Vinayaka Nagar, Bengaluru. During the investigation, the cops zeroed in on Rai as the prime suspect.
Bengaluru DCP (central) Shekhar H Tekkannavar confirmed to The Indian Express that Rai had died by suicide.
Rai had visited his village at around 4 am and left home a while later.
Shantunu Kumar Jena, the officer-in-charge of the police station in Odisha’s Dhusuri, said, “We received the report at around 8:15 am. His body was found near Bhuinpur (where he lived). We sent it for post-mortem at around 9 am and then handed it over to the family.”
Meanwhile, Speaking to IE, Odisha’s Additional Director General, Law and Order, Sanjay Kumar said the police have recovered a suicide note in which Rai purportedly admitted to committing the crime.
“The Odisha Police have already registered an unnatural death case. Based on the suicide note, the Bengaluru police have confirmed he is the accused in the gruesome murder case,” Kumar told IE.
“The Bengaluru police now have to submit a requisition first and take permission of the court, following which we will hand over the suicide note,” Kumar added.
According to media reports, Mahalakshmi and Rai worked in the same mall and were friends since 2023. When the police questioned several people associated with Mahalakshmi, including her husband and colleagues, they found Rai missing from his Bengaluru residence.
During the investigation, police contacted his brother, who told them Ray had called him over the phone and confessed to the murder. Police said Ray made the call to his brother from West Bengal, and that was his last location, IE reported.