‘Blue drum’ redux: Retd rly staff kills lover, 32; burns body & tries to dispose it of in blue trunk

Jhansi: In a rerun of Meerut's ‘blue drum' murder, a retired railway employee burnt the body of a woman with whom he was in a relationship after killing her and concealed the remains inside a blue trunk past Saturday midnight. The matter came to light after the driver of the loader, which the accused hired to dispose of the trunk, alerted the police after he sensed something suspicious.According to police, the accused, Ram Singh, 62, already has two women, a wife who lives in Jhansi's Nandanpura, and a mistress who lives near city kotwali.
He later developed a relationship with a third woman, Preeti, 32, whom he accommodated in a rented house in Lehar Gaon under Sipri Bazar police station. Preeti, though married and living with her husband near ITI, often stayed with the accused in the rented house.According to his mistress, Ram Singh became fed up with Preeti's constant demands for money and killed her around a week ago in the rented house. He then burnt the body with the help of his 16-year-old son after placing it inside a large blue trunk, which he bought for this purpose.Late on Saturday, Ram Singh decided to get rid of the trunk, so he called for a loader. He asked the driver to take it towards the Civil Hospital side while he followed the loader.Midway, Ram Singh suddenly disappeared, while the driver of the lorry grew suspicious. He alerted the police, who found ash, charcoal pieces, and small pieces of burnt bones inside the trunk.A forensic team collected samples. The police and the team went to the house in Lehar Gaon and found a clay stove, wood, and coal, which were probably used for burning. A blue drum was also found inside the house.According to circle officer (city) Laxmikant Gautam, the accused's mistress said Ram Singh admitted to her to have killed Preeti because she constantly demanded money from him. "The body had completely turned into ashes, except for a few parts of the bones. His son is also suspected of having helped his father dispose of the body. A murder case was registered against the accused, who is on the run. Several police teams have been tasked to arrest him." SP (city) Priti Singh confirmed that the main accused Ram Singh was arrested on Sunday evening. "He was having an affair with the victim for the past ten years," she added.