LUCKNOW: A licensed rifle. A close-range shot to his father’s head. A plastic drum. Knives, saws, kerosene. And six days later, a soft apology — “Sorry Papa… galti se ho gaya.”The 19-year-old son of a Lucknow pathologist showed fleeting remorse when presented before the media at Aashiana police station in Lucknow on Wednesday, after allegedly shooting his father and dismembering the body. “I made a mistake.” He repeated the line later while being taken for a medical examination at Lokbandhu Hospital, lowering his gaze when pressed on motive.Police said the teen shot his 49-year-old father following an argument over pressure to prepare for NEET, though a parallel family rift — linked to the victim’s alleged plans for a second marriage — is also under investigation. The accused stayed silent when asked whether pressure to clear the medical college admission test, instead of pursuing a career as a restaurateur, pushed him over the edge.The pathologist was cremated at Baikunth Dham on Wednesday. His nephew performed the last rites as the victim’s father was unwell.Police said his minor daughter — the accused’s sister — is the sole witness. A Class XI student, she saw the argument, the firing and what followed, officers said. She was allegedly threatened into silence. Her statement is being recorded under procedures for minors and, if corroborated by forensics, could prove decisive at trial.SHO Chhtarpal Singh said the teen shot his father with the latter’s licensed .315 bore rifle at their home in the early hours of Feb 20. He allegedly bought a blue drum that morning via an online delivery platform, procured knives and saws through e-commerce, and dismembered the body.Investigators said he packed his father’s severed limbs in plastic and dumped them near a canal on the city outskirts in Nadarganj. The torso was concealed inside the drum at home. To deflect suspicion, the accused filed a missing complaint at Aashiana police station on Feb 23.The plan unraveled a day later. Sub-inspector Agrachari Yadav spotted the teen throwing a bag, grew wary of his body language and questioned him. Police said the accused faltered, grew nervous, then broke down, allegedly confessing and detailing how he disposed of the body parts.A police team took him into custody on Feb 24 evening. Recoveries followed: the remaining body parts from the drum, severed limbs from the canal in Nadarganj. Two knives and two saws from near railway tracks in Transport Nagar. A burnt woolen blanket and ashes from a forested patch in Sarojini Nagar. The rifle and cartridges. Twenty liters of kerosene, suspected to have been used in disposal.Doctors said the cause of death was a point-blank gunshot to the head. A large, irregular wound extended from the nose to the back of the head. Dismemberment occurred after death — cuts consistent with heavy, sharp tools.A private university in Lucknow where the teen is pursuing a BBA degree issued a statement distancing itself from the crime, calling the case a personal family matter and expressing condolences.
