The family of the man, who allegedly killed and dismembered a 29-year-old woman in Bengaluru before taking his own life, has claimed that the woman repeatedly tortured and blackmailed him.
The man’s body was discovered at a cremation ground near his village in Bhadrak district of Odisha on Wednesday, a day after he reportedly died by suicide.
The deceased, a 31-year-old from Odisha, had allegedly murdered his colleague, Mahalaxmi, on September 3.
He reportedly chopped her body into 59 pieces, stashing them in a refrigerator in their shared Bengaluru apartment. Police allege the crime was committed after a heated argument between the two.
The Bengaluru police found Mahalaxmi’s dismembered remains in a one-bedroom apartment in the Vyalikaval area last week, sparking a widespread manhunt for the accused. The man had fled to his home state of Odisha shortly after committing the murder.
Mahalaxmi had moved to Bengaluru nine months earlier, following a family dispute. She had separated from her husband and entered into a relationship with the man, originally from Odisha, which eventually turned deadly.
In a suicide note found in his diary, the accused confessed to killing Mahalaxmi. He stated that the fatal act occurred on September 3 following an altercation. After strangling her, he proceeded to chop her body with an axe blade before fleeing.
Family's allegations
On Thursday, the accused’s younger brother made explosive claims, accusing Mahalaxmi of blackmailing his brother and extorting money from him.
“He told me that she used to blackmail him and demand valuables. She forced him to give her a golden ring, a necklace, and an expensive mobile phone,” the brother told media persons.
According to the brother, the relationship had become increasingly abusive over the past year and a half, leaving his sibling both emotionally and financially drained.
“She took all his earnings, leaving almost nothing for our family,” he alleged. “He kept saying she destroyed our lives.”
The accused had reportedly wanted to marry Mahalaxmi and had taken her on a bike trip to Kerala.
However, the brother claims, she accused him of kidnapping her and incited the public to beat him up before handing him over to the police.
"The police also beat him and released him only after he bribed them with ₹1,000," the brother alleged.
He further claimed that Mahalaxmi's brother and his associates had threatened to kill the accused, which ultimately led to the murder.
A grim confession
The family further alleged that their brother had confessed his crime to them after returning to Odisha.
“He stayed with me for a few days and finally admitted that he killed Mahalaxmi,” said the younger brother. “He said he was enraged after years of abuse and extortion.”
The accused’s mother also recounted her son’s distress upon returning home. “He told me he had done something terrible,” she said. “He said Mahalaxmi used to beat him, and he killed her to save himself.”
The accused’s brother also claimed that the Bengaluru police subjected him to physical abuse while attempting to gather information about his brother’s whereabouts.
"I was tortured because I couldn’t understand their Hindi due to their accent," he said, describing how he was taken to several locations in Odisha, including Bhadrak, before being released in Bhubaneswar.
Police in Bhadrak district later found a suicide note at the cremation ground where the accused's body was discovered.
In the note, the man expressed regret over the events that transpired. "I was fed up with her conduct. I fought with her, and when Mahalaxmi assaulted me, I killed her in a fit of rage," the note read.
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