A grim discovery at a lake on the outskirts of Bengaluru has left residents in Karnataka's capital shaken. A suitcase spotted floating in Ramohalli Lake on Tuesday turned out to contain the body of a 61-year-old woman, later identified as Jayamma, a resident of Chalaghatta who had been missing for several days. Investigators now believe she was killed for her jewellery and her body was stuffed into the suitcase and dumped in the lake to destroy evidence.
A floating suitcase gives away the crime
On Tuesday morning, people in the area near Ramohalli Lake noticed a suitcase drifting on the water's surface. On taking a closer look, they spotted part of a body wrapped in a saree protruding from it, a sight that left them badly shaken. They immediately alerted the Kumbalgodu police, who rushed to the spot and, with help from local residents, pulled the suitcase out of the lake.
Signs the body had been mauled by animals
What police found inside stunned them. The body belonged to Jayamma, and some parts of it bore clear marks of having been mauled by animals. Investigators believe the killers packed the body into the suitcase and threw it into the lake specifically to destroy evidence and prevent identification after the murder.
She left home on July 15 and never returned
According to the police investigation, Jayamma was last seen leaving her home around 3:35 pm on July 15. She never came back. Her family searched extensively among relatives and in the surrounding neighbourhood, but found no trace of her, and her phone remained switched off throughout. On July 16, her son approached the Kumbalgodu police station and filed a missing person complaint.
Mangalsutra, gold ring and earrings missing
During the initial examination at the scene, police found a crucial clue: Jayamma's mangalsutra, a gold ring and her earrings were all missing from her body. This has led investigators to strongly suspect that she was murdered specifically so the attackers could steal her jewellery, and that her body was later dumped in the lake to conceal her identity.
Murder case registered, CCTV footage being scanned
The Kumbalgodu police have now registered a murder case in connection with the incident. To trace the suspects and reconstruct their movements, investigators are examining CCTV camera footage from around the lake and the surrounding roads, hoping the recordings will reveal who was last seen with Jayamma on the evening of July 15.
