Blue Drum Horror In Lucknow: 21-Year-Old Says ‘Did It By Mistake’ After Father’s Murder

A 21-year-old BCom student from Lucknow, accused of killing his father following a dispute on February 20, told reporters, “Galti se ho gaya (I did it by mistake),” when asked about the reason behind the crime.

The accused, Akshat, allegedly dismembered his father’s body, stuffing the torso and head into a blue plastic drum while discarding other remains in an attempt to destroy evidence. He was arrested on Monday and confessed to the murder, police said. The crime was committed around 4.30 am on February 20, according to investigators.

Echoes Of The 2025 Meerut Blue Drum Case

The incident comes almost a year after the March 2025 Meerut blue drum case in which 29-year-old Merchant Navy officer Saurabh Rajput was killed by his wife, Muskan Rastogi, and her lover, Sahil Shukla.

‘NEET Theory’ Disputed By Neighbours

Police had earlier suggested that the murder followed an argument after the father allegedly pressured his son to pursue the all India pre-medical test exam NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) instead of BCom.

VIDEO | Lucknow: Akshat (21) allegedly shot dead his father, Manvendra Singh (50), around 4.30 am on February 20 following a dispute. The accused later chopped his body parts in an attempt to destroy evidence, disposing the severed hands and legs at different locations in… pic.twitter.com/r8PnKe8pyq

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 25, 2026

However, friends and neighbours of the Singh family rejected this claim. Speaking at their house in Ashiana Sector L and outside the post-mortem house of KGMU, several said they were not convinced by the “NEET theory” and maintained that such a brutal act could not have stemmed merely from a disagreement over career choices.

Missing Complaint And Arrest

“Manvendra Singh had been reported missing for three days by his son. Police arrested Akshat Singh, 21, after his conflicting statements unravelled the plot,” Vikrant Vir, deputy commissioner of police, Central, was quoted as saying in an earlier report.

The act was allegedly carried out in front of Akshat’s younger sister, a Class 11 student. He is said to have threatened to kill her if she spoke out. “The sister witnessed the entire episode but was intimidated into silence,” the DCP said.

Body Dragged, Dismembered, Dumped

Ashiana SHO Kshatrapal said Akshat dragged the body from the third floor to an empty ground-floor room in an attempt to erase evidence. He allegedly dismembered it there using tools available at home.

“To erase evidence, Akshat dragged the body from the third floor to an empty ground-floor room. There, he dismembered it using tools from the house. He loaded some parts into his car and drove to Sadrauna, a remote area, where he dumped them,” Kshatrapal said.

The torso and head were placed inside a blue plastic drum, which Akshat allegedly planned to dispose of later but was apprehended before he could do so. Other remains dumped near Sadrauna are yet to be traced.

“He was in the process of getting rid of the torso when we intervened,” the DCP said.