Meerut blue drum murder: Muskan, lover Sahil get death sentence for killing Saurabh Rajput, both break down after verdict
PTC Web Desk: A court in Meerut has sentenced Muskan and her lover Sahil to death for the murder of her husband, Saurabh Rajput. A fine of Rs 20,000 was also imposed on the two.
Both convicts were in jail when the verdict came. They were connected to the court through video conferencing and as soon as they heard the sentence, both began crying uncontrollably.
Earlier on Wednesday, around 10.30 am, Judge Arvind Kumar Mishra spoke to the two over video call to hear what they wanted to say before the sentence was decided. He told Muskan she had been found guilty of her husband’s murder and asked what punishment she wanted. Her reply was short. She only asked that her daughters be looked after and then went quiet. When the same question was put to Sahil, he stayed silent.
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Saurabh Rajput was killed on March 3, 2025. His body was cut into five pieces and stuffed inside a blue drum, a detail that shocked people across the country and gave the case its name. The trial began in the district court in July 2025. On September 30, the court held Muskan and Sahil guilty of the murder.
What the lawyers argued
Government counsel KK Chaubey had asked the court to give both accused the death penalty. The defence lawyer, Rekha Jain, pleaded for the lightest possible punishment. She pointed out that Muskan has two young daughters and elderly parents who depend on her.
Prosecution lawyer Vijay Bahadur later confirmed that the court had ordered the death penalty for both Muskan and Sahil.
The case background
Saurabh Rajput was a former Merchant Navy officer. Both Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla practiced several times how to execute the killing.
In the postmortem report, the reason was stated as haemorrhage shock and that the left side was stabbed three times with a knife, there were cut marks on the neck and wrist and both the wrist and the neck were separated from the body.
Saurabh's wife Muskan Rastogi had purchased two knives for Rs 800 and practiced multiple times how to stab. Doubting her knife skills, Muskan bought a cut-throat razor, which was ultimately used to decapitate Saurabh.
Muskan and her accomplice, Sahil Shukla, were arrested for drugging, stabbing and dismembering Saurabh's body into 15 pieces while he was in Meerut for his daughter's birthday. Muskan initially slit his throat with the razor and Sahil later used the same weapon to behead him. The couple then placed the dismembered body in a blue drum, sealing it with wet cement.
Saurabh's body showed multiple stab wounds, including three on the left side, along with severe cut marks on the neck and wrist. The most gruesome detail was that both his neck and wrist were severed.
- PTC NEWS
