Prime suspect in Bengaluru woman's murder found dead in Odisha with suicide note

The prime suspect in the Bengaluru murder case was discovered dead in Odisha on Wednesday, September 25, according to Bengaluru Police. The man's body was found hanging from a tree in Bhadrak district, alongside a suicide note.

Authorities identified the deceased as Mukti Ranjan Rai, who was wanted in connection with the brutal killing of a 29-year-old woman named Mahalakshmi. Her dismembered body had been discovered inside a refrigerator in her Bengaluru apartment on September 21, horrifying local residents.

In a macabre twist, investigators revealed that Mahalakshmi's body had been cut into 59 pieces. The victim, who was married but living separately from her husband, resided in a one-bedroom flat in the city's Vyalikaval area.

Odisha Police recovered a bag, notebook, and scooter at the scene where Rai's body was found. The purported suicide note, discovered inside the notebook, contained a confession to Mahalakshmi's murder and the subsequent dismemberment of her body.

Bengaluru Police had been searching for Rai for two days and had detained his brother during the investigation. The connection between the Odisha death and the Bengaluru murder came to light when Bengaluru authorities contacted their Odisha counterparts inquiring about Rai's whereabouts.