From Missing Complaint To Confession: How The Lucknow ‘Blue Drum’ Murder Case Was Solved

Last Updated:February 24, 2026, 11:25 IST

Despite the confession, the exact motive behind the murder remains unclear. Police said further interrogation is underway to ascertain the reasons behind the fatal argument.

The phrase “blue drum" – now associated with some of the most gruesome crimes in recent years – resurfaced in Lucknow, sending shockwaves through Uttar Pradesh. The victim was 49-year-old Manvendra Singh, owner of Vardhman Pathology Lab, who was allegedly shot dead and dismembered by his 21-year-old son inside their home in the Ashiyana area. His torso was later found stuffed inside a blue drum.

What we know about the case?

Manvendra had been missing since February 20. Ironically, it was his son, Akshat Singh, a B.Com student, who approached police to file a missing person’s complaint. Investigators now believe this was an attempt to deflect suspicion.

Akshat told police that at around 6 am on February 20, his father woke him and said he was leaving for Delhi and would return by the afternoon of February 21. He claimed that since then, all three of his father’s mobile phones were switched off and he had not come back.

The incident took place at House No. 91 in Sector L of Ashiyana under the Ashiyana police station limits. During the investigation, police traced the last mobile location to Kakori, where Manvendra’s pathology lab is located. A search operation there yielded no immediate clues. However, inconsistencies began to appear in Akshat’s statements.

During questioning, he reportedly changed his version multiple times. At one stage, he claimed his father had died by suicide. Later, he confessed to murdering him.

Victim shot at dawn

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Vikrant Veer, Akshat confessed that a heated argument broke out between him and his father at around 4:30 am on February 20. In a fit of rage, he allegedly picked up a licensed rifle and shot his father, killing him on the spot.

Police said he then dragged the body from the third floor of the house to the ground floor. An empty room was allegedly used to dismember the corpse. In an apparent attempt to destroy evidence, he cut the body into pieces.

Some body parts were packed into a car and taken to Sadrauna, where they were dumped. The torso was stuffed into a blue drum and kept inside the house. Police believe he was planning to dispose of the remaining parts as well, but was arrested before he could do so.

On Monday evening, police took Akshat to the Ashiyana house, where the blue drum containing Manvendra Singh’s torso was recovered. Efforts are ongoing to locate the severed head, which he allegedly disposed of separately.

Sister witnessed the killing

In another revelation, police said Akshat shot his father in the presence of his sister, Kriti, a Class 11 student at APS. He allegedly threatened to kill her if she disclosed the incident. Investigators believe fear kept her silent.

After disposing of the head, Akshat reportedly returned home and cleaned the car to remove bloodstains. When questioned by his aunt about washing the vehicle, he allegedly said it had become dirty and did not need her help. Investigators later found blood traces inside the car.

Forensic teams have been deployed at the residence and evidence collection is underway. A heavy crowd gathered outside the house as news of the crime spread.

What we know about the family?

Manvendra Singh hailed from Jalaun district. Apart from running the pathology lab, he was reportedly involved in the liquor business. His wife had died nine years ago. The family includes his son Akshat and daughter Kriti.

His father, Surendra Pal Singh, a retired Uttar Pradesh Police personnel, arrived at the scene leaning on a stick and visibly shaken. Manvendra’s younger brother, SS Rajawat, is posted in the Uttar Pradesh Secretariat.

Motive still unclear

Despite the confession, the exact motive behind the murder remains unclear. Police said further interrogation is underway to ascertain the reasons behind the fatal argument.

DCP Vikrant Veer said a missing complaint was registered regarding Manvendra Singh. During investigation, it was revealed that his son Akshat shot him dead and has confessed. Legal proceedings are being initiated.

The case has reignited public horror around crimes involving dismembered bodies concealed in blue drums. It has also revived memories of the 2024 Meerut Blue Drum murder, in which Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla allegedly killed her husband Saurabh Rajput, dismembered the body and sealed the remains inside a cement-filled blue drum.

That case had shocked Uttar Pradesh and turned the phrase “blue drum" into a haunting reference to calculated domestic murder – a memory that has resurfaced once again with the recovery in Lucknow.

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