Bengaluru police have arrested a 32-year-old man for the alleged murder of his wife, whose decomposing body was discovered by officers in a vacant site in Agrahara Layout near northeast Bengaluru’s M.S. Nagar on 25 September. The accused has been identified as Sagar Chandra Rawat and the deceased woman as Anusuya Behara, 28.
According to the police, the murder took place on August 11 at the couple's rented house near Sampigehalli after an argument over a financial matter. Rawat allegedly strangled Anusuya during the dispute.
Police said the accused allegedly kept his wife’s body in the rented house for several days while trying to figure out how to dispose of it. At around 3 a.m. on August 16, he allegedly put the body in a bed and carried it to a vacant site near their home.
Rawat went to the place because he noticed thick vegetation had grown on the site that he believed would hide the body, investigators said. He then left the rented accommodation and began staying at the hotel where he worked.
The body was found after the owner of the vacant site notified the police. Officers arrived at the site at 7 p.m. and found the woman’s body in bed and tied up.
The condition of the body was a major challenge for investigators. A preliminary investigation indicated that the woman had been murdered several weeks earlier and that her body had been dumped at the vacant site.
"Identifying the deceased was a challenge as the body had been decomposing for nearly a month," an investigator said, according to the police account. Special teams were formed, and investigators checked nearby paying guest accommodations and hotels for clues about the woman's identity.
Despite its state of decomposition, investigators carefully observed the items they discovered on the deceased. Police photographed the clothes she was wearing, a pendant around her neck, and bangles on her hand.
The investigation finally got a big breakthrough with a tag affixed to the clothes of the woman. Police traced the tag to a shopping complex in Bhubaneswar. By scanning the tag and getting information on where the garment had been sold, investigators were able to identify the deceased.
The information then led police to Rawat, who was arrested in connection with the alleged murder.
Police said the couple married just a few months prior and had come to Bengaluru in search of work and a livelihood. The woman’s family has identified the deceased. Yet investigators are expected to conduct a DNA test to determine her identity definitively.
The case has revealed how investigators used seemingly minor evidence from the scene to establish the identity of a victim despite the advanced decomposition of the body. The clothing tag reportedly provided the critical link that helped police move from an unidentified-body investigation to identifying the woman and finding her husband.
The Sampigehalli Police have registered an FIR under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for murder.
The investigation continues, and investigators will probe the circumstances surrounding the alleged killing and the woman’s death and the disposal of the body. Forensic evidence, witness statements and other evidence will also help investigators to establish the sequence of events.
The case has attracted attention in Bengaluru after the decomposed body was found at the vacant site and the woman's husband was arrested. Details of the case are expected as the police investigation takes place.
