A 23-year-old man murdered his father with an iron crowbar after he objected to his same sex relationship in a village in Uttar Pradesh earlier this month.

The 23-year-old named Ajit then burnt his father’s body and put it inside a tin box to avoid identification. But, the murder plot unravelled after the police found the half-burnt body in the box near a road in the Ayera village area on May 4.

An autopsy confirmed that the man identified as Mohanlal Sharma had been murdered before being stuffed into the box. Three police teams were then formed and during the investigation, they chanced upon “verbal information” of a missing person whose description matched the body. Further investigation confirmed his identity and led the police to his son.

Police said that Ajit used to have regular fights with his father over his relationship with another man, Krishna. Ajit allegedly conspired with his partner, and friend Deepak to kill Mohanlal. On the night of May 1, Ajit, along with the other two, killed his father, burnt the body and disposed of it in a box, they further said.

The main accused Ajit and his accomplices were caught on Sunday after an encounter. Two illegal pistols, four live cartridges, two hollow cartridges and one iron crowbar were recovered from them. Ajit and Krishna got injured during the encounter and were sent to the Mathura District Hospital for treatment.