Pressure of marriage, fights... What brew between Mahalakshmi, lover before Bengaluru murder?

As the investigation continues into the Bengaluru murder case, shocking details are emerging with each passing day.

The case has glaring similarities with the murder of Shraddha Walkar in Delhi.

Mahalakshmi, a 29-year-old salesperson at a clothing factory, was murdered and her body was cut into 59 pieces , allegedly with a sharp cleaver knife, by her lover Mukti Ranjan Ray, who escaped from Bengaluru, days after committing the gruesome crime.

Here’s what led to the horrific murder.

Constant fights and marriage pressure

Mukti Ranjan Ray, 30, and Mahalakshmi, who were colleagues, were allegedly in a relationship for nearly six months.

The couple often had constant quarrels and fighting, including pressure and alleged mental harassment from her for marriage, as per Deccan Herald.

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The heated arguments and physical fights sometimes escalated onto the street outside her Vyalikaval residence, according to News18, which cited local police sources.

The officer closely involved in the case told the channel that there had been reports about their altercations at the Malleshwaram police station and attempts to resolve the issue amicably.

Ray and Mahalakshmi reportedly got into a fight on September 3 after he went to her house.

Ray, who knew about Mahalakshmi’s earlier marriage with Hemanth Das, was reportedly upset as he had reportedly once seen pictures of other men on the victim’s phone.

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He had discussed about Mahalakshmi’s aggressive behaviour and the images on her cell phone with her younger brother, Smriti Ranjan Ray, who lives in Hebbagodi.

Additional Commissioner (West) Sathish Kumar told News18 that the accused’s younger brother had confessed to the police about Ray contacting him after the murder.

“We are recording his statement under Section 164 of the CrPC. His statements match to what the accused has mentioned in his suicide note,” Kumar said.

Blind rage

Investigation revealed that the murder took place on the intertwining nights of September 3 and 4.

A heated argument between the couple escalated when Ray allegedly struck Mahalakshmi on the head, resulting in her death, as per India Today.

According to News18, Ray sat with the dead body through the night, planning ways to dispose of it.

The next morning on September 4 at 11 am, he visited a utensil shop in Malleshwaram and bought a cleaver knife. CCTV footage captured the accused entering the shop.

“We have footage of the accused entering the shop, and later evidence indicated that the accused threw away an item, which was later discovered to be the knife’s cover,” a police source told News18.

After committing the heinous crime, Ray went incommunicado. After several days, he turned on his phone to call his younger brother and confessed to the murder. He informed his brother that he was upset about how Mahalakshmi treated him and complained about their constant fights.

“Her violent behaviour had frustrated him, leading to her murder,” an investigating officer told News18.

According to the police, Mahalakshmi was known to be “hot-tempered,” and complaints of physical assault between the two parties were lodged with the local police.

A similar case was also registered by her estranged husband, Hemanth Das, at Nelamangala police station. He earlier informed police that he had filed a complaint against Mahalakshmi in February this year after she allegedly assaulted him for not giving her money. He also told reporters that Mahalakshmi had also filed a complaint against him earlier over a marital row. Das, who runs a mobile phone accessories store, lives with their four-year-old daughter in Nelamangala.

Earlier, Das had raised suspicions that Mahalakshmi had an affair with Ashraf, who hails from Uttarakhand and works at a barber shop.

Prime accused’s suicide

After the confession, Smriti Ranjan lent his brother money to flee the city. The accused informed him that he was heading towards their hometown in Odisha. The police tracked Ray’s mobile network first to the Andhra Pradesh border and then near the West Bengal border.

The Bengaluru police subsequently dispatched three teams to track and arrest him.

With the CCTV images, technical data, scientific analysis, and a suicide letter confessing the crime, the police have enough evidence to prove the case.

However, before police could track him, Mukti Ranjan was found hanging from a tree in Bhadrak, Odisha, near his hometown on September 25. He reportedly sought help from a friend in Balasore for a two-wheeler, promising to return the vehicle later that day.

In his handwritten suicide note, the 30-year-old confessed to murdering Mahalakshmi.

“I did it. I killed her. I was fed up with her. Her constant fights and demands for money were very frustrating,” the note, written in Odia, read, according to police sources in Odisha.

Authorities recovered several personal belongings at the scene, including his bag, laptop, and mobile phone.

With inputs from agencies