Bengaluru, Feb 26 : The Karnataka Police have cracked the murder case of a 70-year-old woman -- a BJP worker -- on Monday and arrested the accused from Bengaluru.

The accused -- also a BJP worker -- confessed that after suffocating the old woman to death, he had cut her into pieces and then stuffed the body in a plastic drum.

The accused has been identified as Dinesh, a resident of K.R. Puram in Bengaluru and earlier worked as a merchant in Chennai port. The accused had confessed that he was eying on the gold jewels of the old woman.

The victim, Susheelamma's body was found in a plastic drum near a dilapidated house in Nisarga Layout in K.R. Puram. The body was chopped into pieces however police found that the legs and hands of the body were missing.

The dog squad had led the police team to the residence of the accused located in the same areas close to the house of the victim.

The accused said that he had loans of Rs 30 lakh and people who lent him money had started coming to his house and pulled him up for non-payment. The victim Susheelamma owned a house and the victim had come to know that after disposing of a property she had got a huge amount.

The accused had planned the murder and invited the old-woman to his house. There he strangled her to death and cut her body into pieces. He then disposed her limbs in Avalahalli Lake and was planning to dispose of other body parts.

The incident came to light after the locals spotted the plastic drum and informed the police.

Susheelamma resided in a flat on II Main Road of Nisarga Layout. Her younger daughter and granddaughter stayed in another apartment about 200 feet away from her flat. The family did not suspect foul play as the victim would go for a visit to temples for a day or two.

The police have taken up further investigation.

/IANS