Bengaluru: One more 'suitcase murder' surfaces; body of techie's wife found

A spine-chilling murder case in Bengaluru has surfaced after the body of a 32-year-old woman, Gauri Anil Sambrekar, was discovered stuffed inside a suitcase at her rental home in Doddakammanahalli in Bengaluru, on Thursday (March 27).

Her husband, Rakesh Rajendra Khedekar, a 36-year-old project manager in a software firm, was arrested from Pune, Maharashtra within 24 hours of the crime.

According to media reports, Rakesh called his landlord on Thursday evening and informed him that he had killed his wife the previous night. Moreover, he told the landlord to inform the police and his wife's family about the alleged murder. Subsequently, the landlord alerted the Hulimavu police around 5.30 pm on Thursday.

When officers arrived and broke open the locked door, they found Gauri’s body stuffed inside a trolley suitcase in the washroom.

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Shocking confession

The couple had been married for two years and had recently moved to Bengaluru from Mumbai. Rakesh was working from home while Gauri, a mass media graduate, was actively looking for a job.

After committing the murder, Rakesh fled to Maharashtra in his car. Bengaluru police, with assistance from their Maharashtra counterparts, tracked him through his mobile phone signal and detained him near Pune by 9.30 pm on Thursday night.

During preliminary police investigation, Rakesh admitted to stabbing Gauri during an argument over a minor issue while having dinner on Wednesday. Enraged, he took a kitchen knife and stabbed his wife two to three times, leading to fatal injuries. She allegedly died on the spot.

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Investigation underway

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Sarah Fathima confirmed that forensic teams collected crucial evidence and that an autopsy has been ordered.

Police are still investigating the motive behind the murder. However, police said Rakesh appears to be in a state of shock and is not fully cooperating with the investigation.

This case comes in the wake of previous such gruesome 'murders' in Bengaluru. In September 2024, a 29-year-old woman, Mahalakshmi, was found dismembered and her body parts were stored in a refrigerator in her apartment in Malleshwaram.

This suitcase murder adds to growing concerns over rising domestic crimes in the city.