Indian actress brutally murdered; body found in pieces, head still missing
CHENNAI, August 7, 2026: A shocking murder case in the Indian city of Chennai has led police to identify the victim as Sindhya, an emerging Tamil actress, after her dismembered remains were recovered from different locations.
According to Indian media reports, residents alerted police after noticing human fingers protruding from a plastic bag near a garbage dump in Chennai. When police opened the bag, they found a severed hand and legs inside.
More plastic bags were later discovered in different parts of the city. The bags contained human bones, body parts and other remains.
A post-mortem examination determined that the remains belonged to the same woman. Police said the victim had been killed and her body was allegedly cut into pieces using a sharp weapon. However, her head and left hand remained missing, making identification difficult.
During the investigation, police noticed two distinctive tattoos on the victim’s right hand. One tattoo depicted the Hindu deities Shiva and Parvati, while the other featured a dragon.
Meanwhile, a woman approached a police station to report her daughter missing. She told investigators that her 37-year-old daughter, Sindhya, was an aspiring Tamil actress who lived in Chennai with her husband and two children.
Sindhya’s mother reportedly told police that her son-in-law had claimed Sindhya had gone out of the house but had not returned.
Police later showed the recovered remains and identifying marks to Sindhya’s family. Her mother identified her daughter based on the tattoos and other features. A subsequent DNA test also confirmed that the recovered remains belonged to Sindhya.
Following the identification, police questioned Sindhya’s husband, Balakrishnan. He initially claimed that his wife had left home and never returned. However, investigators reportedly found inconsistencies in his statements.
Police later claimed that Balakrishnan confessed to the killing during questioning.
According to investigators, Sindhya and Balakrishnan had an argument before the incident. Police alleged that Balakrishnan attacked Sindhya with an axe, killing her before dismembering her body and placing the remains in plastic bags, which he allegedly dumped at different locations.