Mahalakshmi Murder case: Investigation debunks 'Love Jihad' claims, right-wingers left exposed
Bengaluru: The discovery of the dismembered body of 29-year-old Mahalakshmi in her rented home in Bengaluru's Vyalikaval neighborhood on September 21 had shocked the city, sparking a wave of misinformation and communal propaganda. Mahalakshmi, who worked at a costume outlet in Malleshwaram, was found inside a refrigerator at her residence in Vinayaka Nagar, where she had been living alone after separating from her husband.
Following the discovery, social media platforms and several right-wing commentators began circulating unverified claims, suggesting that a man named Ashraf was responsible for Mahalakshmi's murder. These claims quickly spiraled into communal narratives, with some alleging that the incident was a case of ‘Love Jihad’ — a conspiracy theory propagated by certain groups, claiming that Muslim men engage in relationships with Hindu women with the intent of converting and harming them.
The narrative gained traction when Aman Chopra, a journalist with News 18 India, drew comparisons between Mahalakshmi's murder and the infamous Shraddha Walkar case from Delhi in 2022. Walkar was murdered by her live-in partner Aftab Poonawalla, who dismembered her body and stored it in a refrigerator. Chopra suggested a pattern of Muslim men killing their Hindu partners, despite the lack of evidence linking Ashraf to Mahalakshmi's murder.
Chopra's coverage, which aired during a news bulletin, emphasized the name "Ashraf," insinuating that the alleged murderer shared a similar background with Poonawalla. He shared a clip of his broadcast on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “Earlier it was Shraddha, this time it’s Mahalakshmi. The name has changed, the modus operandi is the same.” The narrative was further propagated by the official X handle of BJP Karnataka, which linked the incident to the state's law and order situation, blaming the Congress government’s alleged appeasement policies for the crime.
Radharamn Das, Vice-President and spokesperson of ISKCON Kolkata, also contributed to the misinformation, tweeting, “Another body of a Hindu girl found in Abdul’s fridge. This story will keep repeating, and those Hindu girls still with an Abdul will keep thinking, ‘My Abdul is different.’” His statement fueled communal sentiments, further deepening the communal divide.
Other right-wing influencers and platforms, including RSS mouthpiece Panchjanya, echoed similar claims, amplifying the narrative without verifying the facts. Influencers like @MrSinha_, Kajal Hindustani, Jaipur Dialogues, and lawyer Shashank Shekhar Jha, known for spreading communal propaganda, also joined in, focusing on the unsubstantiated involvement of Ashraf.
However, investigations by the Bengaluru Police have debunked these claims. According to police reports, Mahalakshmi was married to Hemant Das, a resident of Nelamangala who runs a mobile accessory shop. The couple had been married for six years and had a child together. However, due to marital issues, they had been living separately for nine months. After separating from Hemant, Mahalakshmi initially lived with her brother, Hukum Singh, and his wife. Following a dispute, her brother moved out, leaving Mahalakshmi to live alone.
The case took a significant turn when Mahalakshmi's estranged husband, Hemant, expressed suspicions about a man named Ashraf, who worked at a salon in Nelamangala. Hemant claimed that Mahalakshmi had been having an affair with Ashraf and had even filed a complaint against him a few months earlier at the Seshadripuram police station, accusing him of blackmail.
Despite these claims, the Bengaluru Police did not name Ashraf as the prime suspect. After interrogating him, the police found no substantial evidence linking him to the murder and subsequently released him. Instead, the police focused on another individual, identified as Muktirajan Pratap Ray, a colleague of Mahalakshmi.
On September 23, Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda announced that the prime suspect in the case had been identified, but withheld further details as the suspect was still at large. The case took a tragic turn when the suspect, Muktirajan Pratap Ray, was found dead by suicide in Odisha on September 25. His body was discovered hanging from a tree in Bhuinpur village in Bhadrak district.
Ray, who had been absconding since the discovery of Mahalakshmi’s body, had confessed to the murder in a suicide note found at the scene. According to Bhadrak Superintendent of Police Varun Guntupalli, Ray had been evading arrest and took his own life out of fear of being apprehended for the murder.
Investigations revealed that Ray and Mahalakshmi had been colleagues since 2023 and had been missing from work since September 1. Police traced Ray’s whereabouts to West Bengal, where he reportedly contacted his brother and confessed to the crime. Following his confession, Ray fled to his native village in Odisha, where he ultimately ended his life.
The Bengaluru Police have confirmed that the murder of Mahalakshmi was not a case of ‘Love Jihad’ and that the key accused, Muktirajan Pratap Ray, was not a Muslim. The baseless allegations propagated by several journalists, right-wing influencers, and media platforms have been proven false.
Mahalakshmi murder case | Odisha | SP Bhadrak, Varun Guntupalli says, " A team of Bangalore Police had come here to probe the recent murder of a woman there. The team said that the prime accused belonged to Bhadrak. Before the team could apprehend the accused, Mukthirajan died by… pic.twitter.com/RpRqBqpYXb
— ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2024
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
