BHUBANESWAR: The prime accused of the sensational Mahalakshmi murder case in Bengaluru had reportedly confessed to his mother hours before allegedly taking his own life near his house at Dhusuri in Bhadrak district on Wednesday.
Investigation revealed that accused Mukti Ray, aged around 30 years, returned to his village on Tuesday evening almost after two years. He told his mother that he had killed the 29-year-old woman and broke down sobbing. Mukti stayed in 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 using a rope.
Chilling details of the murder have also surfaced after police recovered a notebook of Mukti. In the notebook, the accused has reportedly confessed to his crime and mentioned the reasons behind the horrifying murder. Mukti 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 Mukti wrote the 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 13 and wrote the note the same day. He planned to end his life immediately after committing the crime but did not get an opportunity.
Mukti even admitted to have committed the crime before his cousin brother with whom he stayed for around 10 to 12 days in Berhampur after fleeing Bengaluru. “On the day of the incident, the woman reportedly threatened Mukti 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,” said the cousin.
Speaking to mediapersons on Wednesday, the cousin said Mukti contacted him over telephone before arriving in Berhampur. “During his stay with me, he revealed about the crime. Mukti also told me that he had spent Rs 7 lakh to Rs 8 lakh on Mahalakshmi who was blackmailing him. A few months back, the woman had also accused Mukti of kidnapping her following which the locals had handed him over to the police.”
Bhadrak SP Varun Guntupalli said Bengaluru police will collect the required documents seized from Mukti’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.