Meerut: A court in Meerut, on Wednesday, October 14, convicted Muskaan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla in the Saurabh Rajput murder case, better known as the Blue Drum murder case, and sentenced them to death.
Both Muskan and Sahil were produced before the court through video conferencing.
Muskaan’s parents had told the court that their son-in-law was a very good man, and if their daughter is found guilty, they will not protest.
“Generally, in cases like these, the minimum punishment is a life sentence, and the maximum punishment is death,” Public Prosecutor Vijay Bahadur said.
The case has seen 126 hearings and testimonies, with the prosecution and defence presenting their arguments before District Judge Arvind Kumar Mishra.
The prosecution examined 22 witnesses during the trial, including people connected with the purchase of the drum, a knife and other material allegedly used in the crime. Hotel managers and cab drivers were also examined to establish the movements of the accused, while records relating to their stays at different locations were presented before the court.
On March 3, 2025, Muskaan Rastogi sedated her husband, Saurabh Rajput, at their home by lacing his food. Her lover Sahil Shukla arrived shortly after, and the duo stabbed Saurabh Rajput to death before dismembering his body in the bathroom.
Seeking to suppress the odour of decomposition, they packed the dismembered body parts into a large blue plastic drum, filled it with a freshly mixed wet compound of sand, water, and cement, and sealed it, the probe had revealed.
Muskaan and Sahil fled to Himachal Pradesh the following day. To evade suspicion, she texted from her husband’s mobile phone, creating an illusion that he was alive and travelling for business.
Muskaan has two daughters – a six-year-old with Saurabh and another baby girl with Sahil. The second child was born in the jail.
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