Indian-origin woman dentist killed in Australia; body found in suitcase
Melbourne, Mar 6: A 32-year-old Indian-origin woman dentist has been found dead with stab wounds in Australia, days after she went missing from Sydney's busiest area under mysterious circumstances, police said on Wednesday.
Preethi Reddy's body was found stuffed in a suitcase in her car parked in an eastern Sydney street, New South Wales Police said.
Her ex-boyfriend has also died in a road accident that appeared deliberate, they said.
Reddy was last seen waiting in line at McDonald's in George Street on Sunday, the police said.
On Tuesday, the police found her car parked in Strachan Lane in Kingsford. Inside the car, they found her body in a suitcase, according to media reports.
Her body had been stabbed numerous times. She and her ex-boyfriend stayed in a hotel in Market Street in Sydney's CBD on Sunday, officials said.
Reddy was attending a dental conference in St Leonards at the weekend and last spoke to her family at around 11 AM on Sunday.
She told them that she would head home after breakfast, and when she failed to return, her family contacted police.
NSW Police described Reddy's disappearance as "out of character" and said there were serious concerns of her welfare.
Her work colleagues said they were "terrified" and had been unable to sleep since her disappearance.
"It's devastating, and this is completely out of character," dental assistant Chelsea Holmes of Glenbrook Dental Surgery was quoted as saying by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"We got a call on Monday asking if she had turned up to work and now we are just hoping and none of us have been able to sleep.
"I spoke to her last Thursday and it was 'see you next week' and completely normal," she said adding "Now I am just praying she will be found," Holmes said.
The NSW police said they were appealing for information in relation to her whereabouts.
Reddy attended a dental convention at St Leonards at the weekend, and last spoke with her family about 11am on Sunday, saying she planned to head home after having a late breakfast in Sydney, according to the police.
She was reported missing to Nepean Police Area Command later that night after she failed to arrive home, police added.
She was captured on CCTV inside the restaurant and appeared to leave alone a short time later.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
