Bhubaneswar: Mukti Pratap Ray, the prime suspect in the recent brutal murder of Bengaluru resident Mahalaxmi, was found dead by suicide at a burial ground in his native Kuleipada village in Odisha’s Bhadrak district on Wednesday evening.
Local police confirmed the incident, along with the discovery of a chilling suicide note in which Mukti confessed to the gruesome crime.
In his note, Mukti admitted to murdering Mahalaxmi and dismembering her body into 59 pieces, which he stored in a refrigerator. Police in Bengaluru had previously identified Mukti, a colleague of Mahalaxmi, as the key suspect after her mutilated remains were discovered in her apartment last week.
The crime has sent shockwaves across the nation. Mahalaxmi’s body, meticulously cut into 59 pieces, was found stuffed in a refrigerator in her one-bedroom apartment after neighbors complained of a foul odour. The dismemberment suggested a carefully premeditated act, prompting investigators to swiftly zero in on Mukti as the primary suspect.
According to police sources, Mukti's motive was believed to be linked to Mahalaxmi's involvement with another man, though the identity of this individual remains undisclosed.
A report by noted that Mukti had expressed opposition to Mahalaxmi’s relationship, which may have been the catalyst for the crime.
Adding to the complexity of the case, Mahalaxmi’s estranged husband, Hemanth Das, recently alleged that a man named Ashraf, hailing from Uttarakhand, was involved in the murder. Hemanth claimed that Ashraf had been in an extramarital relationship with Mahalaxmi, which he believes played a significant role in her death. The Bengaluru police, however, has not confirmed Ashraf’s involvement at this stage of the investigation.
Mahalaxmi, a 29-year-old saleswoman, had been missing since early September. On September 21, her body was discovered after neighbors alerted authorities about the unpleasant smell emanating from her apartment. Investigators are now conducting toxicology tests to determine whether Mahalaxmi was poisoned before being dismembered.
The Karnataka home minister, G Parameshwara, confirmed that Mukti, a native of Odisha, had been living in Bengaluru before fleeing the city. Authorities launched a search for him, tracking his movements along the Odisha-West Bengal border before his body was found.
The investigation remains ongoing, with police analyzing fingerprints and other forensic evidence collected at the crime scene. Mahalaxmi's devastated family continues to demand justice.