In an eerie reminder of the Meerut 'blue drum' murder, a case has been reported from Maharashtra where a woman, with the help of her husband, brother and his friend killed her lover, stuffed the body into a drum and dumped it in a nearby drain.
The incident dates back to April 3, when a man identified as one Arbaz Maqsood Ali Khan, a resident of Mumbra in Thane, left home stating he was heading to Dadar for work.
But Khan never returned.
After hours of a failed search operation, Khan's father filed a missing person complaint at the Mumbra Police station. The police initiated an investigation by analysing Khan's call records and location data.
Arbaz's last known location was in the Vasai area. His girlfriend, Mehjabeen Sheikh's phone was also located in Vasai.
Acting on their suspicions, the police took Mehjabeen into custody for interrogation.
"Initially, Mehjabeen refused to give any details, but upon rigorous questioning, she confessed to killing Khan with the help of her husband, brother and his friend," said Priya Dhankne, Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP).
The plan was to extort money from Khan.
When they couldn't get anything out of him, Mehjabeen and her accomplices tied Khan's hands, beat him with a plastic pipe and then killed him. They then stuffed his body in a green drum and dumped it into a drain in the Mumbra area.
The police have arrested Mehjabeen and her brother, Tariq Sheikh. Her husband, Hasan, and his accomplice are currently on the run.
Tariq is reported to have other cases registered against him.
A case has been registered under charges of murder, criminal conspiracy, and a further investigation into the matter is underway.
Recap: Meerut Blue Drum Murder
In February 2025, Muskaan Rastogi, along with her lover and partner's friend, Sahil, killed her husband, Saurabh Rajput. Muskaan mixed sleeping pills into Saurabh's food on March 4. She and Sahil then murdered him in his sleep, chopped up the body, and packed 15 pieces into a drum, and sealed it with wet cement. The plan was to dispose of the body later.
