New Delhi, Aug. 19 -- In a chilling echo of the infamous Meerut drum murder, the body of a 35-year-old man was discovered inside a blue plastic drum on the rooftop of a house in Rajasthan's Khairthal-Tijara district. Police have alleged that his wife and her lover - the son of their landlady - conspired to kill him barely six weeks after the family moved into the rented property.

The deceased, identified as Hansram alias Suraj, was originally from Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh. He had been living in Kishangarhbas with his wife Sunita and their three children.

Neighbours first alerted the Rajasthan authorities on Sunday, 17 August, after a foul smell began emanating from the building. When officers arrived, they discovered Hansram's deco...