The severed body parts of Mahalakshmi Das, a 28-year-old mall worker, were found inside the refrigerator of her Bengaluru accomadation on Thursday evening. The body of the woman was reportedly cut into 30 pieces and stored in the fridge for many days before being discovered by her landlord and family.
The stench coming from the Malleswaram accommodation under Vyalikaval police station forced her sister and mother to break open the door that was locked from the outside in the owner's presence. They both fainted after seeing the severed head of Mahalakshmi in the bottom of the fridge that was infested by maggots.
Bengaluru Police has hinted that it may take some time to crack the case. The victim's mobile phone was unreachable for many days and neighbours spoke about a man who used to travel with Mahalakshmi regularly. As things stand, here are five things about the murder case that shared eerie similarities with the Shraddha Walker case that shocked Delhi in 2022:
1. The victim: Hailing from Nepal, Mahalakshmi Das's parents had settled in Bengaluru's Nelamangala at least a couple of decades back. The 28-year-old was an employee at a mall in the locality and was away from her residence from 9:30 am to 10: 30 pm every day except for on weekly offs.
2. The crime scene: The victim was living alone as her child was with her husband, the Times Of India (TOI) said in a report. According to neighbours, Mahalakshmi moved in to the single-room accommodation five months ago. Initially, her elder brother stayed with her at the house but later left.
3. Family: Mahalakshmi had separated from her husband, who now lives with their only child in Nelamangala. Her own family, including her parents, lived not far from her accommodation. Thus, the landlord quickly summoned her elder sister and mother after being notified about the stench emanating from the room that was locked from the outside.
4. The probe: The victim's mobile phone got switched off on September 2, TOI said in a report. The police are in the process of checking her call logs. They were amused by the fact that her family, despite living close by, didn't come by after her phone remained unresponsive for so many days. While it was initially suspected the crime took place a few days ago, the police now suspect that she was murdered soon after her phone was switched off.
5. The suspect: Mahalekshmi Das was not close to her neighbours and hardly interacted with them. However, they have confirmed that a man used to pick her up in the morning and drop her back after work. The cops are in the process of tracking down this unidentified man. The body parts were stuffed inside a 165-litre single-door fridge that was turned on. However, the severed body parts were in a decomposed state when found, reports said.
