BHUBANESWAR: The prime accused of the sensational Mahalakshmi murder case had reportedly confessed to his crime before his mother, hours before allegedly taking his own life near his house at Dhusuri in Bhadrak district, Odisha, on Wednesday.
Investigation revealed that accused Mukti Ranjan Ray, aged around 30 years, returned to his village on Tuesday evening after almost two years.
He told his mother that he had killed the 29-year-old woman, and broke down sobbing. Ray stayed at his house overnight and left on his father’s scooter in the wee hours of Wednesday. He went to an isolated place and reportedly hanged himself from a tree with a rope.
Chilling details of the murder have also surfaced after police recovered a notebook of Ray, in which the accused has reportedly confessed to his crime and mentioned the reasons behind it.
Ray said he liked Mahalakshmi, but the latter took advantage of him and exploited him financially. He even claimed that the woman wanted to kill him, for which he murdered her. The accused’s mother also corroborated her son’s claims and said he was disturbed, as Mahalakshmi was exploiting him. The woman had even taken his gold chain and a ring.
Police sources said Ray wrote disturbing details of the crime in both Odia and English. His writing in English was imprecise and police collected most of the crucial information from the sentences he had jotted down in Odia.
The accused killed Mahalakshmi on September 3 and wrote the note the same day. He planned to end his life immediately, after committing the crime, but did not get an opportunity. Ray even confessed to have committed the crime before his cousin, with whom he stayed for 10-12 days in Berhampur, after fleeing Bengaluru.
“On the day of the incident, the woman reportedly threatened Ray at knife-point and said she would kill him, as well as his younger brother, who also stays in Bengaluru. After a heated exchange, he throttled her and then cut her body into 59 pieces by using a kitchen knife,” the cousin claimed.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, the cousin said Ray contacted him over telephone before arriving in Berhampur. “During his stay with me, he revealed about the crime. Ray also told me that he had spent Rs 7-8 lakh on Mahalakshmi, who was blackmailing him. A few months ago, the woman had also accused Ray of kidnapping her, following which the locals had handed him over to the police.”
Bhadrak SP Varun Guntupalli said Bengaluru City Police will collect the required documents seized from Ray’s bag as part of their investigation. They will be provided with certified copies of the notebook, in which he had confessed to his crime.
Vyalikaval Police to file abated chargesheet
Bengaluru: The Vyalikaval police investigating the murder of Mahalakshmi (29) will file an abated chargesheet with the jurisdictional court, as the prime accused, Mukti Ranjan Ray, took his own life before he was arrested. An abated chargesheet is a criminal proceeding that has been discontinued due to the death of the accused.
Ray hanged himself near his house in Dishuri police station limits in Bhadrak district of Odisha. His body was found hanging from a tree on Wednesday morning. Before filing the abated chargesheet, the Bengaluru City Police will gather all evidence related to the case. The police will also have to file a petition before the court in Odisha to take possession of Ray’s mobile phone and other material evidence, and send them to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) here. If the police find anybody else’s involvement in Ray’s escape, they will also be arrested. The statement of the accused’s brother under Section 164 of the CrPC, along with statements of other family members and suspects will be mentioned in the abated chargesheet.