Mahalakshmi, who was killed and hanged in a refrigerator in Bengaluru
Mukti Ranjan Ray, whose body was found hanging from a tree in a village in Odisha, killed his lover, Mahalakshmi, in Bengaluru after frequent marital disputes. 31-year-old Ray was the prime suspect in the murder of Mahalakshmi, 29, whose body, cut into 59 pieces, was found inside a refrigerator in her one-room flat in Malleshwaram in Bengaluru.
In her suicide note, currently in the custody of the Bhadrak Police, Mukti Ranjan detailed her fight with Mahalakshmi before she killed her.
A source told CNN-News18 that the letter started with “I did it” and said that Mukti Ranjan was fed up with Mahalakshmi’s “violent behavior and arguments”.
“He attacked me and that angered me so I hit him and killed him. I cut him into many pieces,” Mukti Ranjan’s suicide note allegedly reads.
This paper was found inside a bag near where the body was found hanging, said a police source.
Meanwhile, the Bhadrak Police were contradicting his handwriting and other legal evidence.
WHY MUKTI RANJAN KILLED MALAKSHMI
Mahalakshmi and Mukti Ranjan work together in a clothing store and become friends. Both had been dating for a while, Bengaluru police said.
On September 2, Mahalakshmi, who was out every week, was visited by Mukti Ranjan Roy like every other day.
When the two met, it is believed that they had a big argument as Mukti Ranjan was allegedly forcing Mahalakshmi to marry him. However, Mahalakshmi kept refusing saying that she is not ready to enter into another relationship.
The Bengaluru police had earlier revealed that Mahalakshmi was separated from her husband, Hemanth, and had been living alone in her flat for about nine months.
Her estranged husband’s statement revealed that she was having an affair with Ashraf, who is allegedly involved in the case. However, as Ashraf was interrogated, it was revealed that he and Mahalakshmi had been separated for a year.
Mukti Ranjan is said to have asked Mahalakshmi to marry him long ago, and this time their argument turned violent when she attacked Roy. Mahalakshmi is said to have again beaten Mukti Ranjan and bit her. This was when Mukti Ranjan hit him on the back, which led to his death.
Mahalakshmi’s estranged husband had filed a case against her in February this year, alleging that he assaulted her after she refused his money. In his complaint, Hemanth alleged assault at home and claimed that Mahalakshmi bit his hand.
BENGALURU MURDER CASE: Suicide of MUKTI RANJAN
With the discovery of Mukti Ranjan’s dead body and her suicide note, the police were waiting for information confirming the fingerprints on the paper.
Mukti Ranjan is said to have confessed to his younger brother, who lived in Hebbagodi in Bengaluru, that he killed Mahalakshmi.
At first, he did not tell her that he had killed but only talked about their arguments and fights. Later he told his brother that he had killed Mahalakshmi. It was then that Mukti Ranjan’s brother asked her about her phone being switched off. Mukti Ranjan also told her brother that she wanted to run away from the police.
The police were recording the statement of Mukti Ranjan’s brother and were investigating whether he was guilty.
Another brother of Mukti Ranjan, who lives in Bhadrak, was also being questioned by the police, and investigations are on to find out whether Mukti Ranjan’s family helped him flee from Bengaluru to Odisha after the crime.
