Husband of Bengaluru woman found inside fridge suspects lover's role in murder

The estranged husband of the woman, Mahalakshmi, said that she had an illicit relationship with a man, identified as Ashraf, and that he may have been involved in the gruesome murder.

In Short

• Woman's husband filed a complaint against her alleged boyfriend Ashraf
• The woman lived separately from husband in Bengaluru
• Police have identified the prime suspect in the case

The estranged husband of Mahalakshmi, the Bengaluru woman whose dismembered body was found stuffed into a refrigerator in her flat, claimed his wife had an illicit affair with a man and that her lover could be involved in the murder.

Speaking to the media, Mahalakshmi's husband Hemant Das said that Ashraf, who is from Uttarakhand, could be behind the murder, adding that a complaint was also filed against him at a local police station in Bengaluru a few months ago.

"I suspect one man called Ashraf. I filed a complaint against him at the Nelamangala police station once. Post the complaint, it was mandated that he must not come to Bengaluru. But I don't know where else they went...," Das said.

Das and Mahalakshmi were married for six years and have a daughter. However, the couple started living separately nine months ago due to domestic disputes.

"Ashraf comes from Uttarakhand. We filed a complaint because I came to know of the extra-marital affair. It was not a suspicion, I knew it. Ashraf works at a barber shop. I came to know of the affair in April or May 2023. Mahalakshmi hadn't informed me of anything about Ashraf. I wasn't in continuous touch with her...," Das said.

Das, who works at a mobile phone shop, said that he met Mahalakshmi around 25–30 days ago when she visited him at the shop.

On September 22, the Karnataka Police recovered the body of Mahalakshmi, 29, from her one-room flat in Bengaluru's Vyalikaval area. Her body was chopped into 30 pieces and stored in a refrigerator.

Speaking about the incident, Karnataka Home Minister G Paramaeshwara said that the prime suspect of the case has been identified and will soon be arrested. (Check this properly)

"Already some information has been collected, which I cannot reveal now...but we will soon nab those involved in it...an individual-- they say is the one (involved), but unless we have more information, we can't really confirm. He is from West Bengal, they say. As early as possible we will secure (those involved)," Parameshwara told reporters on Monday.