Pramesh S Jain
A government rule requiring vacant sites to be kept clean inadvertently helped Bengaluru police crack the murder of a 28-year-old woman whose decomposed body was found in an empty site near Sampigehalli.
The body of Anusuya,a native of Odisha, was found in an advanced state of decomposition when workers went to clean a vacant site at MS Nagar,Agrahara Layout.
The site owner had engaged workers to clear the premises following the civic requirement to keep vacant plots clean.
The site owner alerted Sampigehalli police,who initially faced difficulties in identifying the woman.
The body had been dragged around by stray dogs, and police eventually conducted the last rites after failing to establish her identity.
During the investigation, police noticed a clothing tag on the body.The tag was traced to a purchase made at a mall, and inquiries with the mall helped police obtain Anusuya’s contact details.
The investigation revealed that Anusuya had married Sagar Chandra Rawat,32,a native of Odisha,around two years ago.
The couple had married without informing her family and had been living in Bengaluru, working at different hotels. Sagar was working as a kitchen supervisor.
Police found that the couple frequently quarrelled over financial issues.
On August 11,Anusuya had reportedly gone to the hotel where Sagar worked and argued with him over his salary.The quarrel continued after they returned home, during which Sagar allegedly strangled her to death.
According to police,Sagar kept his wife’s body at their house for three days before wrapping it in a bedsheet and dumping it at the vacant site.
He allegedly chose the isolated location to avoid suspicion and continued visiting the area for four to five days to check whether anyone had discovered the body.
Meanwhile,Sagar continued working at the hotel as usual, allegedly attempting to conceal his involvement.
Police later questioned him after learning about the couple’s quarrels.During interrogation,he allegedly confessed to killing Anusuya and dumping her body.
The accused was arrested within a week of the body being identified,bringing the murder investigation to a close.
