BENGALURU, INDIA – SEPTEMBER, 2024 Horrifying crime shocked India with its brutality and cold calculation. The body of 29-year-old Mahalakshmi Das, an employee at a shopping mall, was discovered dismembered into over 20 pieces and carefully stored in a refrigerator at her apartment in the Vyalikaval neighborhood. The gruesome discovery was made by her mother and sister after they failed to contact her for several days.
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- Mahalakshmi Das
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- Her dismembered body
The police quickly identified her colleague, Mukti Ranjan Ray, as the prime suspect. Investigations revealed that Ray was obsessed with Mahalakshmi and disapproved of her close relationship with another man. In a fit of jealousy and rage, he allegedly attacked her in her apartment, where he brutally murdered her. After the crime, he dismembered her body into pieces, wrapped them meticulously, and placed them in the refrigerator to conceal evidence.
Following the crime, Ray fled to his home state of Odisha. On September 25, 2024, he was found hanging from a tree in Odisha’s Bhadrak district. A suicide note discovered at the scene confessed to the murder and detailed the gruesome act.
This case mirrors the infamous Shraddha Walkar murder in Delhi, raising suspicions that Ray might have been inspired by that crime through videos on social media.
The tragedy of Mahalakshmi Das highlights the urgent need for heightened vigilance and measures to prevent violence against women in India. The Bengaluru police faced criticism for their failure to provide adequate protection to victims and for the slow pace of investigations. This incident has reignited debates on women’s safety and the necessity of stronger measures to prevent such atrocities.
