JHANSI: In a chilling echo of Meerut’s recent ‘blue drum’ murder case, a retired railway employee allegedly killed a woman he was in a relationship with, burned her body, and tried to dispose of the remains in a blue trunk late Saturday night. The crime came to light after the driver of a loader hired to transport the trunk became suspicious and alerted the police.
The accused, identified as 62-year-old Ram Singh, reportedly has two partners — a wife who lives in Jhansi’s Nandanpura area and another woman who resides near the city kotwali. Police said Singh later began a relationship with a third woman, Preeti (32), whom he had set up in a rented house in Lehar Gaon under Sipri Bazar police station limits. Though married and living with her husband near ITI, Preeti frequently stayed with Singh at the rented accommodation.
According to Singh’s mistress, he grew frustrated with Preeti’s repeated demands for money and allegedly killed her about a week ago inside the house. Police said he then burned the body with the help of his 16-year-old son, after placing it inside a large blue trunk that he had purchased for the purpose.
On Saturday night, Singh hired a loader to dispose of the trunk, instructing the driver to head towards the Civil Hospital area while he followed behind. Midway through the journey, Singh allegedly vanished. Growing suspicious, the driver contacted the police, who later opened the trunk and found ash, charcoal, and small fragments of burnt bone.
A forensic team collected samples, and investigators searched the rented house in Lehar Gaon, where they found a clay stove, firewood, and coal believed to have been used in the burning. A blue drum was also recovered from the premises.
Circle officer (city) Laxmikant Gautam said Singh’s mistress told police that he had confessed to killing Preeti because of her persistent financial demands. “Most of the body had been reduced to ash, with only a few bone fragments remaining. His son is also suspected of helping him dispose of the remains,” he said, adding that a murder case had been registered and multiple teams were formed to trace the accused.
SP (city) Priti Singh later confirmed that the main accused, Ram Singh, was arrested on Sunday evening.
