- Routine clean-up in Bengaluru led to discovery of a woman’s decomposed body at a vacant site
- The victim, Anasuya Behera, was allegedly strangled by her husband, Sagar Chandra Rawat
- Rawat kept the body at home for three days before dumping it and monitoring the site
What started as a routine clean-up drive of vacant plots by the Bengaluru civic body turned into a sensational murder investigation after workers stumbled upon a woman's body.
The Sampigehalli police have cracked the murder of a 28-year-old woman, who was allegedly killed by her husband and her body dumped at an empty site.
The accused, Sagar Chandra Rawat (32), a native of Bihar, has been arrested for allegedly murdering his wife, Anasuya Behera (28).
The couple had reportedly married after being in a relationship and had moved to Bengaluru only a few months ago. Rawat was working at a hotel, while Anasuya was employed at a clothing store.
According to the police, the couple frequently quarrelled over financial issues. On August 11, following another argument, Rawat allegedly assaulted Anasuya and strangled her to death.
Stayed With Body For Three Days
After the murder, Rawat allegedly kept his wife's body at their residence for three days. He then wrapped the body in a sheet, put it in a bed and dumped it at a vacant site in the Sampigehalli area.
Police suspect that the accused subsequently visited the site for several days to check whether anyone had discovered the body.
The decomposed body was eventually found around 20 days after the murder on September 2, when the vacant site was being cleaned. The workers stumbled on the woman's body while cleaning the plot. Stray dogs had reportedly eaten parts of the body by then.
Clothing Tag Provides Crucial Clue
As the body was beyond recognition, establishing the woman's identity proved difficult. A clothing tag found on the body proved crucial to the investigation. Police traced the purchase to a mall and obtained details that helped them identify Anasuya.
Investigators then found that her husband was still reporting to work at the hotel as usual. During inquiries at the hotel, police learnt about the couple's frequent disputes.
Rawat was subsequently taken into custody and questioned. Police say he confessed to the murder during interrogation.
Sampigehalli police arrested the accused within a week of recovering the body and he has been remanded to judicial custody.
Local residents said the body was discovered only after workers began clearing the vacant site following instructions issued as part of the civic authorities' drive to clean up vacant plots.
