Suicide or foul play? Mystery shrouds Bengaluru techie’s death; decomposed body found in locked flat

BENGALURU: Police investigating the case of a 34-year-old software engineer, identified as Puja Dutta, who was found dead in a decomposed and naked state inside her rented house in Adugodi Monday night, suspect that she killed herself.

However, the probe is on from all possible angles.

Puja, originally from Dhanbad, Jharkhand, was living alone on the third floor of a multi-storey residential building for the last three years. The incident came to light after her adjacent housemates alerted the house owner, Janakamma, about a foul smell emanating from her house, who informed police. Police summoned a locksmith to break open the door. They found her body in a naked and decomposed state, indicating that she may have died at least five days ago.

The incident has raised questions if it was a case of suicide or death caused by other reasons, as the body was found in a pool of blood. Torn papers were scattered in the room, and a table fan was turned on next to her body. The house walls were full of sticky notes and posters. The sticky notes had only one word, like meditation, confidence and others.

The body was shifted to the mortuary, and the exact cause of death will be known only after the autopsy report. A senior officer said, "Puja's phone was switched off. On Tuesday, we accessed her phone and contacted her parents. They are coming to the city late at night. More details about her will be known only after their arrival."

"The door was locked from inside. She had also latched three bolts. There were cut marks on her body," said the officer.

The house owner Janakamma alleged a man frequently visited Puja and that the two often had heated arguments. She stated Puja had a big speaker at her house and played loud music and sang, disturbing others. "I had scolded her for playing loud music and asked her to vacate the house. She argued with me. Last I saw her was on Thursday," she added.

A senior officer said, "During our inquiry, Janakamma couldn't provide any details of the visitor and claimed he used to visit her a year back. We are checking her call detail records."


If you are having suicidal thoughts or are in need of emotional support, call suicide prevention helplines: Tele-MANAS: 14416 or 1800-891-4416, SAHAI: 080-25497777.