In a gruesome discovery, the dismembered body of a 29-year-old woman from Jharkhand was found in a refrigerator at a flat in Bengaluru’s Vyalikaval area on Saturday. The victim, identified as Mahalakshmi, had been living alone in the flat after separating from her husband, Hemant Das.
The chilling scene was uncovered by the building’s landlord, Jayaram, who entered the flat after neighbors complained of a foul stench permeating the area for two days. Initially, residents believed the smell was caused by spoiled food, but the truth was far more horrifying. Upon inspecting the refrigerator, Jayaram discovered blood and the woman’s body, cut into 30 pieces and stored inside the 165-litre fridge.
Mahalakshmi had been living in the flat for the past five months following domestic troubles with her husband, who lives separately with their daughter. Police believe she was murdered four to five days before her body was found, as her phone had been switched off since September 12.
The brutal killing brings to mind the infamous 2022 murder of Shraddha Walkar, whose live-in partner, Aftab Poonawala, allegedly killed her and dismembered her body into 35 pieces, keeping them in a fridge.
Police are currently questioning Mahalakshmi’s estranged husband as part of their ongoing investigation.
