‘Might end up in a drum’: Jhansi man fears wife's affair, cites Meerut murder

A man in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi district has alleged that he caught his wife with her lover in their house and told police he no longer wishes to live with her, fearing he could be murdered and hidden in a drum — a reference to the recent Meerut case where a woman killed her husband and stuffed his body in a drum, NDTV reported.

A video of the incident surfaced online, showing the man exiting a house while arguing over his wife’s alleged affair. Police personnel can also be seen at the scene, with bystanders trying to intervene.

“A video surfaced on social media in which a young man is seen coming out of a woman's house and an information was received on 112 (police helpline), which rushed to the house and brought him to the police station,” NDTV quoted police officer Ramveer Singh.

Here's what happened

According to the report, the incident took place in Mauranipur, Jhansi, where Pawan, a health department employee in UP’s Mahoba district, alleged that his wife, Ritu Verma — a clerk at a government girls' college — was having an affair with local councillor Abhishek Pathak. The couple has a six-year-old son.

After discovering the alleged affair, Pawan said he started living separately while his wife and son continued to stay in Mauranipur. He told police that he was informed about the councillor being at their house, following which he alerted authorities and went there to confront him.

According to the complaint, “When the door opened, the local councillor came out from Pawan's house and started threatening residents and even the police.”

"I can't live with my wife because she can kill me and my son. She can serve poisoned tea to us. It is possible our bodies would be found inside a drum," Pawan told the police.

‘Body in drum’ reference

Pawan referenced the gruesome Meerut murder in which former merchant navy officer Saurabh Rajput was killed by his wife Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla. Rajput was allegedly drugged, stabbed, and dismembered, with his body sealed inside a drum using cement.

The autopsy revealed horrific brutality — his head was severed, both hands were cut off at the wrists, and his legs were twisted backwards, likely to fit the body into the drum.

Drawing parallels, Pawan said in a video that he discovered his wife’s affair in October 2024 when he caught her chatting with someone. He said he persuaded her to end it, but she responded, "my body is my choice, I can do whatever I want, who are you to stop me?" The couple had been living separately since then.

Pawan claimed that during a video call with his son the previous night, he sensed someone else in the background. When he questioned it, the call was abruptly disconnected. He alerted the police and accompanied them to his wife’s rented house.

“They tried to open the door, due to which there was a lot of noise and the neighbours woke up... After a lot of effort, the police got the gate opened... A person came out, and I saw he was Abhishek Pathak, who I caught chatting with my wife in October,” Pawan said.

He added that the councillor attempted to attack bystanders filming the scene and tried to use his influence to escape. "I told everyone gathered there my wife can live with whoever she wants, but nothing should happen to my child," he said.

Police have acknowledged the viral video and have launched an investigation.