Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Sept 5: In a gruesome twist to a missing person case, the decomposed body of a 27-year-old labourer from West Bengal was found inside a sewage treatment tank in Surathkal, with police arresting a fellow worker in connection with the murder.
The victim, Mukesh Mandal, son of Bhudev Mandal, hailed from Parampur in Ratua, Malda district of West Bengal. He had been working as a daily wage labourer at a layout named Mook Rohan Estate in Surathkal.
According to a complaint filed by his colleague Deepankar, also a native of West Bengal, Mukesh went missing around 9 pm on June 24, 2025. Based on this complaint, a missing person case (Crime No. 83/2025) was registered at Surathkal police station on July 2, and an investigation was launched.
The case took a chilling turn on August 21, when Mukesh’s decomposed body was discovered inside an STP (Sewage Treatment Plant) tank within the same estate where he had been employed. Police said the body was in an advanced state of decomposition and had been deliberately hidden.
Acting on a tip-off from a local resident named Chetan, police received credible information that Lakshman Mandal alias Lakhan, a fellow labourer, was allegedly involved in the murder.
According to the complaint, Lakshman had killed Mukesh and dumped his body inside the STP tank, which he then sealed with a plywood sheet to avoid detection. Following this, police registered a murder case (Crime No. 109/2025) under Sections 103(1) and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
A special team led by PSI Shashidhar Shetty and ASI Rajesh Alva was formed and dispatched to West Bengal and Tamil Nadu to trace the accused. The police successfully tracked down and arrested Lakshman Mandal alias Lakhan, aged 30, son of Binay Mandal, a resident of Bado village under Ratua police station limits, Malda district, West Bengal. He was brought back to Mangaluru for interrogation.
During questioning, the accused reportedly confessed to the crime. According to his statement, on the night of June 24, he and Mukesh were drinking alcohol inside an under-construction private building.
Mukesh allegedly showed obscene videos of Lakshman’s wife on his mobile phone, which he had secretly recorded. Enraged, Lakshman took a nearby iron rod, struck Mukesh fatally on the head, and then dumped his body in the estate’s STP tank to conceal the crime.
Police formally arrested Lakshman on September 4 and presented him before a magistrate. He has been remanded to five days’ police custody for further interrogation.
Investigators also revealed that the accused has a criminal background, with two assault cases already registered against him at Ratua police station in West Bengal.
“This was a cold-blooded act triggered by personal vengeance. The accused attempted to completely erase traces of the crime, but due to swift coordination and groundwork by our team, he was traced and brought to justice,” said a senior police official involved in the investigation.
The case was cracked under the guidance of ACP (North Sub-Division) Sreekanth K, with the operation led by Surathkal police inspector Pramod Kumar P. The investigating team included PSIs Raghunayak, Raghavendra Naik, Janardhana Naik, Shashidhar Shetty; ASIs Rajesh Alva, Taranath; and police personnel Annappa, Umesh Kumar, Rajendra Prasad, Karthik, Mohan, and Nagaraj.