The crime unfolded in the accused’s three-storey family home in Lucknow’s upscale Ashiana area.
A 21-year-old man allegedly killed his father, dismembered the body, and stuffed it into a blue drum on Friday, February 20, following an argument over the father urging his son to pursue the medical entrance exam NEET, police said.
The accused, identified as Akshat, a B.Com student, disagreed with his father’s wishes for him to appear in NEET, which sparked the gruesome crime, said Vikrant Vir, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central Lucknow, as reported by Hindustan Times.
Inspired by Meerut ‘Blue Drum’ Murder
Police revealed that the Lucknow murder was reportedly inspired by the infamous ‘blue drum’ case in Meerut from March 2025. In that case, Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla killed Muskan’s husband, Saurabh Rajput, a 29-year-old Merchant Navy officer, dismembered his body into 15 pieces, and stuffed it into a large blue drum, sealing it with cement to mask the odor and delay discovery.
Lucknow Police sources told Hindustan Times that Akshat had read about the Meerut case on social media and had been planning to kill his father, Manvendra, for around a year following repeated arguments.
Grabbed Father’s Rifle, Shot Him
Akshat used his father’s licensed rifle to carry out the murder. According to a police statement, after a heated argument, he shot his father, killing him on the spot.
The murder occurred in front of Akshat’s sister, a class 11 student, who was allegedly threatened to remain silent about the incident. “The sister witnessed the entire episode but was intimidated into silence,” said the DCP.
The crime took place on the morning of February 20, around 4:30 am. Forensic teams are currently collecting evidence from the scene.
Attempt to Mislead Police
Manvendra, who owned a pathology lab and was involved in the liquor trade, was last seen alive the same morning. Akshat reportedly tried to mislead police by claiming that his father had woken him at 6 am and left for Delhi, promising to return by afternoon. Concern grew when all three of Manvendra’s phone numbers went unreachable.
Later, Akshat dragged his father’s body from the third floor to the ground floor into an empty room, where he dismembered it, said Kshatrapal, Ashiana SHO.
“He loaded some body parts into his car and drove to Sadrauna, a remote area, where he dumped them,” the SHO added.
Police recovered Manvendra’s head and torso stuffed in a blue drum in the same room, which Akshat had planned to dispose of later. “He was in the process of disposing of the torso when we intervened,” the DCP said.
Even after his arrest, the accused initially claimed that his father had died by suicide before eventually admitting to the murder. Akshat was arrested on Monday. (Agencies)
