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Bengaluru police solved a four-month-old murder case of a single woman, D. Mary, who was killed by Laxman for her gold jewellery. He disposed of her body in a garbage heap. Tracked through his phone, Laxman was arrested, confessed, and is now in custody.
Bengaluru police have cracked a chilling murder case that was registered four months ago following the disappearance of a single woman from Kothanur. The accused, who killed the woman and dramatically disposed of her body, has now been arrested.
The arrested man has been identified as Laxman (30), a resident of Karnataka Slum Board (KSB) Colony in Nagareshwar Nagenahalli, Kothanur. The victim, 59-year-old D. Mary, who lived alone in the same area, went missing on November 26, 2024. Based on a complaint filed by her relative, the Kothanur police registered a case and launched an extensive investigation.
Mary had lost her husband and only daughter a few years ago and was living alone in KSB Colony. Her relative, Jennifer, who resides in Hennur Cross, regularly checked on her well-being. On the morning of November 26, Jennifer called Mary, but her phone was switched off. Sensing something was wrong, she rushed to Mary’s house and found her missing. She immediately reported the matter to the Kothanur police.
Despite weeks of searching, the police could not find any leads about Mary’s whereabouts. However, a breakthrough came when they discovered that Laxman, a resident of the same colony, had also gone missing around the same time.
Laxman, a married man with three children, worked as an auto driver and plumber. Just three days after Mary’s disappearance, his wife filed a missing person complaint at the D.J. Halli police station. While investigating this case, the police received a tip-off from Jennifer, who suspected that Laxman had something to do with Mary’s disappearance.
Following this lead, the police tracked down Laxman, who was hiding in Hennur. Upon interrogation, he confessed to the murder, revealing shocking details about how he killed Mary and disposed of her body.
Police investigations revealed that Laxman had borrowed Rs. 4-5 lakh from several people and was struggling to repay the amount. When he learned that Mary owned gold jewellery and lived alone, he hatched a plan to rob and murder her.
On November 26, he broke into Mary’s house, killed her, and stole about 50 grams of gold jewellery. He then wrapped her body in a bedsheet, loaded it onto his auto, and dumped it in a garbage heap near Hosur Bande in Bagalur before fleeing the scene.
To evade arrest, Laxman switched off his phone, fearing that his location could be traced. However, police examined his mobile records and discovered that he had been using a fourth SIM card. Their breakthrough came when Laxman finally switched on his phone and called a woman he knew from Hennur.
Tracking the phone’s tower location, the police launched a swift operation and arrested him. Under sustained interrogation, Laxman confessed to the murder and provided details of how he executed his plan.
Laxman also admitted to throwing Mary’s mobile phone into a garbage heap while carrying her body. Later, police recovered the phone from a dump yard.
Following his arrest, Laxman was remanded in police custody for five days for further investigation. Officials confirmed that Mary’s decomposed body was found in a deserted area, and forensic examinations are underway.
"The missing case reported four months ago has been solved. A known person murdered her for gold jewellery and has been arrested. The investigation is ongoing," said Ramesh Banoth, Joint Commissioner of Police, East City Zone.
With the arrest of the accused, justice seems closer for Mary, but the case serves as a grim reminder of how financial desperation can drive people to commit horrific crimes.
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