The accused Mukthiranjan Roy, Mahalaxmi's team leader at a mall, smothered her to death, dragged her body to the bathroom and chopped her into pieces.

Roy stuffed the body parts into the fridge and cleaned the bathroom with acid to erase the evidence.

He had also cleaned the house to make it look like nothing had happened if someone tried to peep inside, police sources stated.

The suspected killer wrote in his suicide note that he committed the brutal crime as he was fed up with her conduct.

The police sources said that the suicide note was written in his diary. "I have killed my lover Mahalaxmi on September 3," the accused had written in his diary.

"I was fed up with her conduct. I fought with her over personal matters and Mahalaxmi assaulted me. Enraged by her act, I killed her," he had stated.

Roy was found hanging from a tree in a village in Bhadrak district in Odisha.

"Roy arrived in Pandi village on Wednesday and later left on a two-wheeler. Roy's body was spotted by locals hanging from a tree," the police sources said.

Since September 1, Roy has been absent from duty, coinciding with Mahalaxmi's last day of work.

The murder case came to light on September 21 after neighbours noticed a foul smell emanating from Mahalaxmi's house for two days and informed her relatives.

Mahalaxmi's mother and sister came to her house and witnessed the horrifying scene.

Though the refrigerator was operational, the body had been infested by maggots.

According to residents of the area, Mahalaxmi did not mingle much with her neighbours. For a few days, her brother stayed with her.

The police have also found that she was married and had a child, but lived separately.

Roy's absence at the workplace after the recovery of Mahalaxmi's chopped body parts in the fridge had made the police suspicious.

During the investigation, police found that Roy was close to Mahalaxmi and frequently called her up.