Days after the decomposed body of a man was discovered inside a blue plastic drum on the rooftop of a rented house in Rajasthan’s Khairthal-Tijara district, police arrested his wife and her alleged lover for his murder. The case took a chilling turn when the couple’s 8-year-old son, Harshal, emerged as a key witness, providing investigators with a harrowing account of the events leading up to and following his father’s death.

Murder and Discovery

Hansraj, originally from Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, worked at a brick kiln in Alwar. His body was found on August 17 after neighbors alerted police about a foul smell from the rooftop. When police opened the sealed blue drum, they found Hansraj’s decomposing body, showing a deep throat injury. Salt had been applied to accelerate decomposition.

“My father, mother and uncle (their landlord’s son) were drinking together. My mother only had a couple of pegs, but the uncle who killed my father drank a lot. And so did my father, after which he started beating my mother. My uncle tried to intervene, but my father said, ‘If you save her, I will kill you also, ‘” said the child.

“Then uncle attacked my father,” he said.

Son’s Disturbing Account

According to the child, the night of the murder began with Hansraj, his wife Sunita, and Jitendra Sharma, allegedly Sunita’s lover and the landlord’s son—drinking together. A fight broke out after Hansraj began beating Sunita. Harshal said Jitendra intervened, and later, his mother sent the children to bed.

Harshal recalled waking up to see his father lying motionless on the bed. The next morning, he witnessed his mother and Jitendra empty a water-filled drum, stuff his father’s body into it, sprinkle salt, and move it to the rooftop. He questioned their actions but was told only that “Papa has died.”

“When I woke up, I saw my father on the bed, then I went back to sleep, but again when I woke up, I saw my uncle and my mother. They got scared because the landlord started asking for my father and threatened to go to the police, that’s why uncle took us to a brick kiln,” he said.

“They threw the water and put papa’s body in the drum and placed it in the kitchen,” he said. “I asked them why they were doing this, then they said papa has died”.

History of Violence and Affair

The child revealed a history of domestic abuse, stating that his father frequently beat his mother and once tried to slash his neck with a blade. He also alleged that his father burned Sunita with cigarettes. Meanwhile, Jitendra, who had lost his wife years ago, was allegedly in a relationship with Sunita for the past four months and frequently visited the house, often bringing sweets and helping the children, including arranging Harshal’s school admission.

“He used to beat my mother frequently. He used to burn her with a beedi (cigarette). He also used to beat me. In fact, on August 15, he attacked my neck with a blade,” he said.

“I was admitted to school by him. My father got angry that my uncle had got my admission done and he started beating my mother. Then, my uncle came to save my mother,” he said.

Hansraj had recently become suspicious of their relationship, leading to daily arguments and violent confrontations. Police believe these tensions led the duo to conspire to murder him.

Arrest and Aftermath

Following the murder, Sunita, Jitendra, and the three children fled to another brick kiln 50 kilometers away, seeking work. A tip-off from the kiln owner led to their arrest. The children, including Harshal and his two younger sisters, aged three years and six months, will be handed over to their paternal grandparents.

Police say the investigation is ongoing.