Bengaluru: Bengaluru police have arrested a man accused of murdering his wife, packing her body in a suitcase, and escaping to Pune. The accused, identified as Rakesh from Maharashtra, was tracked using call detail records (CDR) and detained by Pune police after he allegedly informed his wife’s parents about the crime.

The victim, 32-year-old Gauri Khedekar alias Gauri Anil Sambrekar, had a background in mass media and communication but was unemployed at the time. Rakesh, who worked as a project manager at Hitachi, had moved to Doddakannahalli under Hulimavu police station limits with Gauri just two months ago.

According to police sources, the couple frequently fought, and there were reports of physical altercations. On March 26, a heated argument escalated, leading Rakesh to stab Gauri in the stomach and slit her throat. He then packed her body into a suitcase, left it in the bathroom, and fled to Pune.

The crime came to light when Rakesh called Gauri’s parents and confessed. Bengaluru police received a call at around 5:30 pm reporting a suspected hanging case. When officers arrived at the couple’s house, they found it locked. After gaining entry, they discovered a suitcase in the bathroom containing Gauri’s body with multiple injuries.

"We initially received a call about a suspected hanging case, but when officers opened the suitcase, they realised it was a murder," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East) Sarah Fathima.

Rakesh was traced through his mobile phone records, and Pune police arrested him soon after. A team from Hulimavu police has travelled to Pune to bring him back to Bengaluru for further investigation.

Authorities confirmed that the body was intact, and a postmortem will determine the exact nature of injuries. The investigation is ongoing as police work to establish a clear motive behind the crime.