Bengaluru, Karnataka — A 32-year-old man from Odisha was arrested in connection with the death of his wife after her highly decomposed body was discovered in a vacant plot in MS Nagar near Sampigehalli, police said on Saturday, according to PTI.
Sequence of events identified by investigators
Police said the couple, identified as Sagar Chandra Rawat and his wife Anusuya, had an argument over finances on August 11. Investigating officers allege Sagar assaulted and strangled Anusuya during the dispute, causing her death by suffocation. The accused then reportedly kept the body inside their house for about three days before wrapping it in a bedsheet, tying it with a rope and carrying it out around midnight to dump it at the vacant site.
Authorities said the accused subsequently returned home, collected his belongings, locked the house and began staying on the premises of a small hotel in Yelahanka where the couple worked. The body was discovered on September 2 during cleaning of the vacant plot, an exercise carried out after a directive from the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) asking property owners to maintain their premises.
"The body was highly decomposed and beyond recognition; identity was established through a mall tag, a Ganesha pendant and technical analysis," police said, according to PTI.
- Argument and death: August 11 — alleged assault and strangulation.
- Body retained at home: Approximately three days.
- Body dumped: Around midnight following the incident.
- Discovery: September 2 — civic workers cleaning the vacant plot alerted authorities.
- Identification: Mall billing details from a clothing tag, a Ganesha pendant and technical analysis.
How the body was identified and arrest followed
Because the remains were highly decomposed, immediate visual identification was not possible. Police said they located a mall tag on the clothing, which helped investigators obtain billing details and trace the garment back to Anusuya. A Ganesha pendant recovered with the body and subsequent technical analysis corroborated the identity, the police told PTI.
Officers said Sagar was arrested more than three weeks after the body was found. Local residents and police performed last rites soon after the post-mortem due to the state of decomposition. A senior police official provided the sequence and evidence to investigators, as reported by PTI.
| Event | Date (reported) |
|---|---|
| Argument over finances | 11 August |
| Body allegedly retained at home | ~3 days after 11 August |
| Body dumped in vacant plot | Midnight after the three days (date not precisely stated) |
| Body discovered by civic workers | 2 September |
| Arrest of accused | More than three weeks after 2 September (date not specified) |
Local implications and civic link
The discovery came during a civic clean-up prompted by the GBA, highlighting how routine maintenance drives can surface serious criminal matters in Bengaluru's expanding neighbourhoods. The site in MS Nagar, close to Sampigehalli and within the urban sprawl north of the city, underscores ongoing challenges for law enforcement and municipal agencies in maintaining vacant plots and monitoring public safety.
Police inquiry is continuing. Investigators are relying on documentary evidence from a mall, physical items recovered with the body and forensic analysis to build the case, PTI reported. Further details on formal charges, the exact date of arrest and statements recorded from the accused were not disclosed in the initial report.
The incident has drawn attention to two intersecting issues for residents: the need for prompt upkeep of vacant land to prevent misuse or criminal activity and the importance of rapid forensic and investigative follow-up when unidentified remains are found. Local authorities may also face questions about monitoring of rented accommodation and the welfare of workers in peripheral neighbourhoods such as Yelahanka and Sampigehalli.
Police said the probe remains active and further information would be released as investigations proceed.
