Bhadrak: Mukti Ranjan Roy, the prime suspect in the gruesome Bengaluru fridge murder case, was found dead near a graveyard in Bhadrak district, Odisha. Roy had been on the run since the murder of his colleague, Mahalakshmi, whose dismembered body was discovered in a fridge at her rented house in Vyalikaval, Bengaluru, last week.

After the murder, Roy returned to his native village in Odisha and informed his family that he planned to leave home under the cover of night. Authorities learned that he left on a scooter but later took his own life by hanging from a tree near the village. His body was discovered by local residents, who alerted the police. A laptop and personal belongings were found nearby, and his body was sent to Bhadrak Government Hospital for an autopsy.

According to sources, the accused Roy has reportedly left a suicide not, in which he has confessed to the crime.

A complaint has been registered at the Dhusuri Police Station, where investigators have seized Roy’s diary and laptop for further examination.

Sources in the Bengaluru police confirmed on Wednesday that Roy had died by suicide. He had been working in a fashion store in Malleswaram, Bengaluru, where he met Mahalakshmi. The two had reportedly developed a relationship that later turned sour when Mahalakshmi began seeing another man. Investigators believe this romantic conflict escalated, leading to Mahalakshmi’s brutal murder. Her body was cut into over 50 pieces, sparking a massive manhunt for Roy.

Roy was initially believed to have fled to West Bengal after the crime, where he contacted his brother before going into hiding.