Suicide Note Found Near Tree Where Bengaluru Murder Suspect Took His Life

The prime suspect in the brutal murder of a 29-year-old woman in Bengaluru, Mukti Ranjan Ray, reached his village in Odisha's Bhadrak district on Tuesday night, seemingly in a state of panic, just hours before allegedly taking his own life.

Ray, 30, had fled Bengaluru after the murder and moved through several locations before arriving at his village late that night. According to Bengaluru police, he informed his brother in the city about the murder before fleeing.

Unaware of the crime, Ray's parents were shocked to learn that the next morning, he was found hanging from a tree near a plot of land in Bhuinpur village, within the Dhusuri police station limits, about 3 km from his home.

"Our initial investigation shows that Ray was in a state of distress when he reached his village," said Shantanu Kumar Jena, Station House Officer (SHO) of Dhusuri police station. "He left home on a scooter around 4 am on Wednesday without notifying anyone. His family discovered his death at 7 am and alerted us at 8:30 am."

At the scene, investigators found a bag filled with clothes, a black Yamaha Fascino registered to Ray's father, and a suicide note. "The note seemed to be a confession. Since we've registered an Unnatural Death Report (UDR), we won't comment further on it. A Bengaluru police team is en route, and they will provide more details," the officer said. The body was released to the family after a post-mortem.

According to reports, Bengaluru police revealed that four teams had been dispatched to Odisha to locate Ray, and they were closing in on him when the alleged suicide occurred. It is believed that Ray, fearing imminent arrest, took his life.

"His mother is in shock and hasn't spoken much. Both parents are alive and live in the village. According to his mother, Ray returned home around 10 pm," SHO Jena added.

Ray had been accused of murdering Mahalakshmi, a Nepalese-origin woman raised near Bengaluru. The two had worked together at an apparel store in the city and had ended their relationship after an affair. Mahalakshmi's dismembered body was discovered inside a single-door fridge at her Vyalikaval residence on September 21. She had separated from her husband, Hemant Das, and had been living alone since October 2023.