In a chilling incident, Mahalakshmi, a young woman entangled in an extramarital affair, was brutally murdered and dismembered by her lover. Originally from Nepal, Mahalakshmi had been married for five years to Hemanth Das, with whom she shared a four-year-old child. However, their relationship deteriorated, and she left him to live independently in Bengaluru, where she worked as a salesperson in a mall. Known for her reclusive nature, Mahalakshmi kept to herself and had minimal interaction with her neighbors.
Their marriage had been strained due to Mahalakshmi’s extramarital relationship, leading Hemanth to separate from her in October 2023. Earlier that year, in February, Hemanth had filed a complaint against Mahalakshmi with the Nelamangala police, accusing her of assaulting him when he refused to give her money. Conversely, Mahalakshmi had also lodged a complaint against him for marital abuse. After the separation, she distanced herself from her estranged husband and focused on her work, leaving home early and returning late at night.
During that time, Mahalakshmi had begun working at a clothing factory in Malleswaram, where she met Mukti Ranjan Roy, an unmarried man who led a team at the factory. As they worked together, they developed a romantic relationship, and Ray frequently stayed with Mahalakshmi. On September 2, Mahalakshmi, who was off work for the day, had Mukti Ranjan Roy visit her, as he often did. The two reportedly got into a heated argument, with Mahalakshmi allegedly pressuring Mukti Ranjan to marry her. The argument escalated, turning violent when Mahalakshmi allegedly attacked Mukti Ranjan, hitting and even biting him in a fit of rage. Mukti Ranjan, shocked by her aggressive behavior, retaliated, and in the ensuing struggle, Mahalakshmi was fatally injured. Panicking, Mukti Ranjan dismembered her body to cover up the crime.
Mahalakshmi’s mother frequently visited her, and for a time, her brother and sister-in-law lived with her before relocating to another residence. One day, a neighbor detected a foul smell coming from Mahalakshmi’s locked home. Alarmed, the neighbor informed her family, who, upon arriving at the scene, made a horrifying discovery—Mahalakshmi’s body had been dismembered into over 50 pieces and was found decomposing in the refrigerator.
Forensic teams and investigators determined that Mahalakshmi’s phone had been switched off since September 2. Based on the condition of her remains and electronic evidence collected, the police believe that she was murdered and dismembered inside the house, with her body parts hidden in the fridge. Multiple teams have been deployed across India in an effort to track down and apprehend those involved in this gruesome crime. Mahalakshmi’s mother last saw her during the Rakshabandhan festival, after which her phone was turned off.
Before leaving Bangalore, Ray had called Mahalakshmi’s brother and confessed to the murder. He asked Ray to leave the state and the police. To determine whether she had been poisoned prior to her death, samples of her intestine had been sent for toxicological analysis. The fingerprints discovered on the refrigerator were also being examined by forensic teams.
Mukti Ranjan Ray’s body was found hanging from a tree in an Odisha village. In his suicide note, which is presently in the custody of the Bhadrak Police, Mukti Ranjan detailed his fight with Mahalakshmi moments before he killed her. His suicide note began with “I did it” and mentioned that Mukti Ranjan had been fed up with Mahalakshmi’s “violent behavior and arguments.”
“She attacked me and that angered me and I hit her and killed her. I cut her into multiple pieces,” Mukti Ranjan’s suicide note read.
Mahalakshmi struggled with controlling her anger, a trait that caused significant turmoil in her relationships. Her husband, who also faced the brunt of her violent behavior, eventually left her, moving to a safe place with their child. However, her lover, unlike her husband, was not as forgiving or tolerant, and their relationship took a deadly turn. This was not the first instance of violence in Mahalakshmi’s relationships. In February, her estranged husband, Hemanth, had filed a case against her, accusing her of domestic assault. According to his complaint, Mahalakshmi had attacked and bitten him during an argument when he refused to give her money.
The case has parallels to the gruesome murder of 27-year-old Shraddha Walkar in Delhi’s Mehrauli in May 2022. She was strangled by her live-in partner, Aftab Amir Poonawala, 29, and her body was chopped into 35 pieces. The body parts were kept in a 300-liter fridge for almost three weeks at the residence before dumping them across the city. Aftab Amir is in jail now.
