Akshat Pratap Singh, a 21-year-old man from Lucknow accused of killing his father and dismembering his body, confessed to his crime during interrogation, police officials said.
Akshat allegedly shot dead his father Manvendra Singh (50) on February 20 after an argument. He later dismembered the body parts, disposed of the severed hands and legs, and allegedly hid the torso inside a cylinder.
Days after the murder, the police revealed that the accused wanted to burn his father’s body alone. More details also emerged about the stolen money, drugs, and some contradictory statements by the victim’s relatives.
Investigators are now also examining what they describe as contradictory statements and “unusually calm” behavior of family members who were present in the house when the alleged murder occurred, HT reported earlier.
Police sources said that several actions and allegations made by those who were inside the four-storey house in Sector L, Ashiana, from the time of Manvendra Singh’s shooting death till Akshat’s arrest, have raised serious questions.
Stolen money, sour relationships, and another death
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Jitendra Kumar Dubey said that accused Akshat was angry with his father.
“Prima facie, the origin of the incident seems to be anger over his father repeatedly pressuring him to focus on studies and pass the NEET medical entrance exam,” Dubey said, according to PTI.
According to officials, Akshat told police that if he had had the chance, he would have cremated his 50-year-old father on his own, NDTV reported.
Days before the alleged murder, Akshat reportedly stole jewelery and money from the house and blamed the maid for the theft. He used the valuables to buy expensive gifts for his girlfriend and indulge in debauchery, a neighbor alleged, adding that Akshat’s father was aware of the relationship.
“He was addicted to drugs, which upset Manavendra,” he added.
The cause of his mother’s death is still unknown and is considered suspicious.
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Investigate suspicious behavior of family members
A day after the alleged murder, the victim’s brother, a head constable in the UP Police stationed in Lucknow, left for his native village in Jalun with his wife and two children. The family lived on the second floor of the same house as Ashiana.
When questioned, they told investigators they did not realize a shot had been fired, assuming the noise was wedding firecrackers amid the ongoing wedding season. Police said they were verifying this claim.
Investigators also found that the behavior of Akshat’s younger sister, an 11th-grade student, was striking. Although she witnessed the shooting and subsequent dismemberment, she continued to go to school and appeared for exams in the following days.
DCP (Central) Vikrant Veer said that the accused threatened to kill her if she revealed the details of the crime. “The sister witnessed the entire incident, but was intimidated and forced into silence,” he said, adding that the teenager’s testimony was crucial to the investigation, HT had previously reported.
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What is the Lucknow Drum Murder Case?
Akshat initially claimed that his father had traveled to Delhi, police said. He later filed a missing person’s complaint on February 20, portraying himself as the son in question.
Authorities traced Manvendra Singh’s last mobile phone location to his pathology laboratory in Kakori, but inconsistencies in Akshat’s statements soon emerged.
An officer said that Akshat was arrested on charges of shooting his father, dismembering the body and hiding the torso inside a drum on the ground floor of Ashiana’s residence.
DCP Vikrant Veer had earlier said that Akshat shot dead his father Manvendra Singh (50) at around 4.30 am on February 20 after a dispute. The accused later dismembered the body in an attempt to destroy evidence, disposing of the severed hands and legs at various locations across Lucknow while hiding the torso in a drum inside the house, police said.
The police confirmed that the accused confessed and that the weapon used in the crime was found. A forensic team examined the scene of the accident and collected evidence.
