‘I Found Pieces Of My Daughter’s Body In The Fridge,’ Says Mother Of Bengaluru Murder Victim

The Bengaluru police have filed an FIR under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita regarding the murder of 29-year-old Mahalakshmi, a resident of Vyalikaval, whose dismembered body was discovered in over 20 pieces inside her fridge at her rented apartment. Mahalakshmi worked as a team leader at Fashion Factory, a costume outlet in Malleshwaram, and lived alone on the first floor of a G+3 building.

In her complaint, Mahalakshmi's mother, Meena Rana, aged 58, reported that they were alerted to a foul odor coming from her daughter's apartment just a day before the gruesome discovery was made.

Meena and her husband, Charan Singh, originally from Tikapur in Nepal, moved to Bengaluru 35 years ago. They have three other children: Lakshmi, Ukkum Singh, and Naresh.

Meena noted that Mahalakshmi was married to Hemant Das, who resides in Nelamangala and operates a mobile phone accessories store. The couple had started living separately in October 2023, at which point Mahalakshmi rented the apartment in Vyalikaval.

For about 15 days, Mahalakshmi's brother Ukkum Singh and his wife Deepika also stayed with her, but after a disagreement, they moved to Marathahalli.

Meena mentioned that she frequently visited Mahalakshmi to check on her well-being. A neighbor had alerted Ukkum Singh about the foul smell. "On Friday, my eldest daughter Lakshmi informed me about the neighbor's concerns. Since it was already 7 PM, we decided to visit Mahalakshmi the next day. On Saturday, I went to her house with Lakshmi and her husband Imran, only to find the door locked from the outside," she recounted.

After obtaining a spare key from another neighbor, they entered the apartment to find it completely ransacked, with clothes, slippers, bags, and a suitcase strewn about the living room. Meena described seeing maggots near the refrigerator and what appeared to be blood stains. "When I opened the refrigerator, I ran outside in shock to inform my son-in-law Imran. He called the police immediately," Meena added.

In her last conversation with Mahalakshmi on September 2, the victim had mentioned plans to visit her husband soon, marking that as their final communication.