Academic pressure, family discord? Days after Lucknow teen ‘killed’ his father, cops reconstruct events

In an attempt to conceal the crime, police said Akshat allegedly brought the body down from the third floor to the ground floor and kept it in a room. He later allegedly chopped it up and disposed of some of the parts, police said.

Police said that based on their probe so far, the murder does not appear premeditated. “The bullet struck Manvendra in the head. He died on the spot. The weapon allegedly used to dismember the body, a saw, was procured after the murder,” claimed a police officer associated with the investigation.

The trigger for the crime, police said, appears to be exam pressure.

The three-storey house in Ashiana, Lucknow, where the family lived. Express Photo

“During preliminary questioning… the accused claimed his father had been pressuring him to prepare for competitive examinations,” DCP (Lucknow) Vikrant Vir had said earlier.

Station House Officer of Ashiana police station, Chatrapal Singh, had also said the accused claimed he was under constant pressure from his father to concentrate on his studies and clear the NEET medical entrance examination.

A police officer said Akshat’s younger sister was in another room when the crime took place. “The accused told her about the murder and allegedly threatened her. She did not inform anyone about the incident… and went to school the next day for an examination,” the officer added.

Manvendra, 45, ran a pathology centre. His wife passed away in 2017. The accused was pursuing a BBA degree.

‘Frequent arguments’

According to police, hours after the crime, Akshat walked into the police station to lodge a missing person’s complaint. He told the police his father stepped out for work on February 20 and did not return home.

Police claimed Akahat, however, refused to provide a photograph of his father. His reluctance to share further details raised doubts, they said. Assistant Superintendent of Police, Lucknow, Abhay Kumar Mall, said police had been wary of Akashat’s version as he appeared evasive.

As they probed the case to ascertain the motive, police said they found that Akshat had been academically bright in school but his performance began to dip after Class X.

Police said Akshat claimed his father began closely monitoring him and his sister after their mother died, which he resented. The accused further claimed there were frequent arguments over minor issues, police said.

When contacted, DCP Vir said several questions in the case are yet to be answered and that the statement of the accused’s sister is still to be recorded in detail.

Police also said the accused’s uncle lived on the ground floor of the same house, and he and his family had left for their village on Saturday.

On Wednesday, police produced Akshat in court, which remanded him to judicial custody.

Police are yet to receive the post-mortem report. The gun, they said, was in the name of his father.