In a shocking murder case that emerged last week, Bengaluru police discovered the dismembered body of a 29-year-old woman, cut into pieces and stored in a refrigerator at her Vinayaka Nagar residence. The victim, identified as Mahalakshmi, hailed from Nelamangala on the city's outskirts.
While the police investigation was still ongoing, multiple media outlets began speculating about the perpetrator's identity, focusing on communal angles before official information was released. Several Indian news channels and social media accounts shared unverified information
The narrative took a communal turn when some media outlets targeted Mohammad Ashraf, alleging he was involved in an "extramarital affair" with the victim. This claim stemmed from accusations made by Mahalakshmi's estranged husband, Hemanth Das. Several news reports used this unverified information to frame the story along communal lines.
News18 anchor Aman Chopra drew comparisons to a previous high-profile case, stating, "The story is being repeated. In the previous case it was Aftab, now the family alleges the name to be Ashraf." The channel's social media post further sensationalised the story, captioning it, "A murder like Shraddha Walker in Bengaluru! The height of brutality and savagery."
In 2022, soon after the gruesome killing Shraddha Walkar came to light, social media platforms were filled with gaslighting, victim blaming and remarks laced with Islamophobia. The Internet trolls found the Instagram account of the 27-year-old victim and left hate comments on her posts.
Two years later, in the Bengaluru murder case, news channels didn’t even wait for the accused to be named before jumping into their conclusions. Aaj Tak published a headline reading, "Ashraf could be Mahalakshmi's killer, claims husband of woman found in 40 pieces inside a refrigerator." The report referred to Ashraf as Mahalakshmi's 'lover' and claimed, "The police have not yet been able to catch the killer. However, they claim to have identified the murderer."
Live Hindustan went even further with a headline that read, 'Ashraf Cut Mahalakshmi Into 30 pieces; The Horrifying Story Of Bengaluru Murder', despite the police not having released any details about the culprit at that time.
The communal narrative spread beyond traditional media and extended to social media platforms. Facebook, Instagram and X have been dotted with Hindu right-wing accounts posting a collage with the photo of the victim juxtaposed with a grisly image of dismembered body parts found in a refrigerator.
These posts explicitly mentioned Mohammed Ashraf and used the hashtag 'love jihad', drawing parallels to the Shraddha Walkar case and warning Hindu girls against dating Muslim men.
Walkar was murdered by her live-in partner Aftab Amin Poonawala in Delhi on 18 May 2022.
However, as the investigation progressed, it became clear that the communal angle was unfounded. Bengaluru DCP (central) Shekhar H Tekkannavar confirmed to BOOM that there was only one perpetrator in the case: Muktiranjan Ray. The DCP stated, "The name of Mohammad Ashraf did come up, but after investigation we found that he had no role to play."
However, Bengaluru DCP (central) Shekhar H Tekkannavar confirmed to BOOM that there is only one perpetrator in the case and that is Muktiranjan Ray. "The name of Mohammad Ashraf did come up, but after investigation we found that he had no role to play," he said.
The primary suspect, Muktiranjan Pratap Ray, was later reported to have died by suicide in Odisha, leaving behind a confession note.
Mahalakshmi, 29, worked as a team leader at a costume store in Malleshwaram and lived alone in a rented house in Vinayaka Nagar, Vyalikaval, according to the police.
Her dismembered and decomposed body was discovered after a complaint was filed by her mother, Meena Rana. Initial investigations suggest the murder occurred around 15 days ago, with the body parts stored in a 165-litre refrigerator.
During the investigation, Bengaluru police learned that Mahalakshmi and her husband, Hemant Das, had been separated for months due to domestic disputes. Her brother reported that Mahalakshmi had gone incommunicado on September 4.
According to the police, Mahalakshmi and Ray worked at the same mall and had been friends since 2023. While interrogating various individuals linked to Mahalakshmi, including her husband and colleagues, police discovered that Ray was missing from his Bengaluru residence. The authorities then reached out to Ray's brother, who revealed that Ray had called him to confess to the murder. His brother further stated that he had advised Ray to leave the state. Police confirmed that Ray made the call from West Bengal, which was his last known location.