‘Papa’s body in drum’: 8-year-old son becomes key witness in murder case

 

By Sumesh Rajan | August 20, 2025

Alwar, Rajasthan, INDIA: The mystery surrounding the recovery of a man’s body from a blue water drum in Rajasthan’s Alwar has taken a chilling turn with the victim’s eight-year-old son emerging as the prime witness. The boy, Harshal, has given a harrowing account of how his mother and her alleged lover murdered his father and stuffed his body inside the household drum.

The victim, Hansraj, a migrant worker from Uttar Pradesh, was found dead on August 15. His decomposed body was recovered from the first floor of a rented house in Kishangarh, Alwar, after the landlady noticed a foul smell and alerted the police.

The child’s testimony

Recounting the sequence of events, Harshal told investigators that his parents and the accused — identified as Jitendra Sharma, the son of their landlord — were drinking together on the night of the murder.

“My mother had just a couple of pegs, but uncle (Jitendra) drank a lot, and so did papa. After drinking, papa started beating my mother. Uncle tried to intervene, but papa threatened him, saying, ‘If you save her, I will kill you too,’” the child told the police.

According to him, Jitendra then attacked Hansraj, after which his mother asked him to go to sleep. “When I woke up, I saw my father lying on the bed. Later, I saw my mother and uncle getting scared because the landlord began asking for papa and threatened to go to the police. That’s when they took us to a brick kiln,” Harshal recalled.

He further revealed the horrifying detail of how his father’s body was hidden. “They threw away the water from the blue drum in the kitchen, put papa’s body inside it, and sealed it. When I asked them why, they said papa has died.”

Pattern of abuse

Harshal also disclosed to police that his father was abusive. “He used to beat my mother frequently. He would burn her with beedis (cigarettes). He also beat me. On August 15 itself, he attacked my neck with a blade,” the child alleged, showing injury marks.

The accused and the murder plot

Police said Hansraj was smothered with a pillow after he became heavily intoxicated. His wife Sunita and Jitendra Sharma allegedly then stuffed the body into the blue drum, mixing salt in it in an attempt to hasten decomposition.

Investigations revealed that Sunita and Jitendra Sharma had been in a relationship for the past four months. Sharma, a widower, often helped Sunita and her children with household and school-related matters. Hansraj had discovered the affair and frequently fought with Sunita, leading to escalating domestic violence.

According to Harshal, the relationship itself became a point of contention. “Uncle Jitendra helped admit me to school. My father got angry that uncle had done this and started beating my mother again. Uncle came to save her, and that is when the fight started,” he told police.

Arrest and aftermath

Following the murder, Sunita, her three children — Harshal, his three-year-old sister, and six-month-old infant — and Jitendra Sharma fled the rented home. They were traced 50 km away to a brick kiln where they had gone in search of work. The kiln owner, suspicious of their behaviour, informed the police, leading to their arrest.

Police sources confirmed that the children will now be handed over to their paternal grandparents.

Grim parallels

The Alwar case has drawn parallels with a similar murder reported from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, where a woman and her lover killed her husband and concealed his body in a drum filled with cement. That case, too, came to light through the haunting words of the victim’s child, who repeatedly told neighbours, “Papa drum mein hain” (Papa is in the drum).