A 29-year-old woman in Bengaluru, India was found dismembered on Sep. 21 with over 30 pieces of her left inside a refrigerator.

The woman, identified as Mahalakshmi, was found by her family after her landlord alerted them to a foul smell emanating from the house, reported News18.

She was allegedly staying alone in the single-bedroom house.

A prime suspect believed to be from West Bengal has been identified, with teams sent to apprehend the individual, the police commissioner B Dayananda reportedly said.

Mahalakshmi's estranged husband also spoke to the media, expressing his suspicions of her alleged lover, reported News18.

Body was maggot-infested

The police suspect the murder to have taken place two weeks prior to the discovery.

The victim's mother stated that her daughter’s phone had been switched off since Sep. 2.

After calling her father at around 9am that day saying that she wanted to visit her parents, she became uncontactable, her mother told the media.

The landlord noticed a smell coming from her flat on Sep. 21 and informed the family, who went down to check.

When her sister, mother, and husband entered the house, they found clothes strewn everywhere, dried blood on the floor, and maggots crawling.

They traced the smell to the refrigerator where they found her "head placed in the lowest tray, other body parts in the middle shelves, and the legs on top of the fridge".

The body parts were found decomposed with maggots over them.

A suitcase was also found open at the scene of the crime.

Victim was living alone

Mahalakshmi was reportedly living alone after separating from her husband in October 2023.

The police learned that she would leave for work as a salesgirl in a mall each day around 9:30am and return after 10pm.

A male friend was also often seen on CCTV footage dropping her off.

Her husband told police that he would visit with their four-year-old daughter every 15 days so that the mother-daughter could spend time together.

Investigations ongoing

The police said they are in the process of determining the motive for the crime and that investigations are ongoing, News18 reported.

The police said: "Those who were close to her are also suspects in this case. However, we request people not to speculate.”

The city police department has formed eight special teams to look into the case, the Hindustan Times reported.

Top photos from News18 and Times Now