"Pressure of marriage, fights... What led to the tension between Mahalakshmi and her lover before the Bengaluru murder?"
Mukti Ranjan Ray and Mahalakshmi, who were colleagues, were allegedly in a relationship for nearly six months. They often had constant quarrels and Ray’s family alleges mental harassment from her for marriage. The fight between the couple escalated on September 3 when Ray allegedly struck Mahalakshmi on the head, resulting in her death. He later chopped her body into pieces and stored it in a refrigerator.
Arpit Pattnaik
In the sensational Mahalakshmi murder case, the prime accused Mukti Ranjan Ray reportedly confessed to his crime before taking his own life near his house in Dhusuri, Odisha. Police recovered a notebook in which Ray admitted to the murder and detailed the disturbing events in both Odia and English.
In his diary entry, Ray confessed that Mahalakshmi physically assaulted him multiple times for refusing to marry her. He also wrote that he liked Mahalakshmi, but she took advantage of him and exploited him financially. He claimed that she wanted to kill him, which led to him murdering her.
Ray also confessed to his crime before his mother, stating that he was disturbed by Mahalakshmi's exploitation and that she had even taken his gold chain and ring.
Ray and Mahalakshmi worked together at a garments outlet in a Bengaluru mall. The two were in a relationship, but tensions grew as Mahalakshmi pushed for marriage, which Ray resisted. Mahalakshmi had separated from her husband.
Police believe Mukti took his own life fearing arrest, as Bengaluru Police had been tracking him down in Odisha for several days.
"My brother told me that he strangled her on September 3 after a fight. Later that night, he chopped her body into pieces and stored them in the refrigerator. He had planned to dispose of Mahalakshmi's dismembered remains after a few months," Satya told police.
