The Bengaluru police have registered an FIR under Section 103 (1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in the murder of Vyalikaval resident Mahalakshmi, 29, whose body was found cut into over 20 pieces and stored inside a refrigerator in her rented apartment. The victim worked as a team leader in Fashion Factory, a costume outlet in Malleshwaram, and lived alone on the first floor of a G+3 building. What does the FIR say? In her complaint, Mahalakshmi's mother, Meena Rana, 58, said they were informed about a foul smell emanating from the victim’s apartment a day before the murder was discovered. It has been learnt that Meena Rana and her husband Charan Singh hail from Tikapur in Nepal and shifted to Bengaluru 35 years ago. Besides Mahalakshmi, the couple has three children – Lakshmi, Ukkum Singh, and Naresh. Meena Rana stated that Mahalakshmi was married to Hemant Das, who lives in Nelamangala and runs a mobile phone accessories store. The couple started living separately in October 2023, which was when Mahalakshmi rented the apartment in Vyalikaval. Mahalakshmi’s brother Ukkum Singh and his wife Deepika also stayed for about 15 days in the same house. Later, Mahalakshmi had a spat with Ukkum Singh and the latter along with his wife shifted to Marathahalli. Meena Rana claimed she frequently visited her daughter to check on her. A neighbour of Mahalakshmi had informed her brother Ukkum Singh about the smell. “On Friday, my eldest daughter Lakshmi informed me what the neighbour told Ukkum Singh, but as it was already 7 pm, we decided to visit Mahalakshmi’s place the next day. On Saturday, I visited the house with Lakshmi, and her husband Imran and found that the door was locked from outside,” she said. The complainant said they managed to enter the apartment after getting a spare key from another neighbour. “When we entered the apartment, we found that it was completely ransacked, with clothes, slippers, bags and a suitcase dumped in the living room. There were some maggots near the refrigerator and it looked as if there were blood stains as well. Upon opening the refrigerator, I ran outside in shock to inform my son-in-law Imran. He called the police immediately,” Meena Rana stated in her complaint. According to the mother, Mahalakshmi had told her over the phone on September 2 that she would visit her husband soon. That was the last communication between the mother and the daughter.
