Meerut (UP), Oct 14: A Meerut court on Wednesday sentenced Muskan Rastogi and her partner Sahil Shukla to death for the murder of her husband Saurabh Rajput whose body was dismembered and cemented inside a blue drum, the killing capturing national headlines for its grisly details.
The merchant navy officer was killed on March 3, 2025 and his body discovered two weeks later.
District Judge Arvind Kumar Mishra pronounced the verdict — that came after 126 hearings during a 13-month trial — in the case dubbed the “blue drum case”, court officials said. Muskan, who has two daughters, one seven years and the other 10 months, and Sahil were produced separately before the court through video conferencing.
The two appeared restless ahead of the sentencing and had eaten very little and slept poorly, according to Senior Jail Superintendent Dr Viresh Raj Sharma. Before pronouncing the sentence, the judge asked both convicts whether they wished to say anything regarding the punishment.
Sharma said the hearing was brief and the judge asked Muskan and Sahil questions on various points, including the forensic report. He declined to share details of the questions.
Muskan had been requesting permission to meet her elder daughter for the last three-four days. Her younger daughter stays with her in jail and she has been expressing concern about the child’s future.
Saurabh’s mother Renu, aunt, brother and other family members were present at the court when the sentence was pronounced.
Before the sentencing, Renu said the family had made efforts at every level to secure justice for her son and thanked the administration and others who supported them during the legal proceedings.
Muskan and Sahil were convicted on September 30 for murder and for attempting to conceal Rajput’s body. The two dismembered his body and placed the remains inside a blue drum, which was subsequently filled with cement to conceal the crime.
The case came to light after the remains were discovered at the couple’s house in Meerut after about a fortnight.
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. (PTI)
