Meerut blue drum murder: Merchant Navy officer's wife Muskan, lover found guilty

Muskan and her lover Sahil have been found guilty in the murder of the woman's husband Saurabh Rajput, whose dismembered body was found concealed in a blue plastic drum.

In Short

• Meerut court convicts Muskan Rastogi, Sahil Shukla in 2025 murder case
• Her husband Saurabh Rajput's dismembered body found in blue plastic drum
• Prosecution seeks death penalty; sentencing arguments pending

A Meerut court on Wednesday convicted Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla in the 2025 murder of Muskan's husband, Saurabh Rajput, a Merchant Navy officer. Rajput’s dismembered body was concealed in a blue plastic drum in Meerut, with the gruesome nature of the murder drawing widespread public attention.

District Judge Arvind Kumar Mishra pronounced the verdict after a trial spanning around 13 months and 126 hearings. The prosecution examined more than 22 witnesses and presented forensic and scientific evidence in support of its case.

The court will now hear arguments on the quantum of the sentence. The prosecution has sought stringent punishment, including the death penalty, for both accused.

According to the case details, Muskan drugged her husband and, with Sahil's help, killed him in March 2025. The accused then dismembered Rajput's body, placed the remains inside a blue plastic drum and sealed it with cement.

Police later recovered Rajput's body parts from the drum during the investigation.

After the murder, Muskan and Sahil fled to Himachal Pradesh and were arrested after returning to Meerut.

The case rested largely on circumstantial, forensic and scientific evidence. Police and forensic witnesses testified about the recovery of Rajput's remains, while post-mortem evidence documented injuries caused by sharp-edged weapons. The police also relied on evidence relating to the purchase of a knife, razor, drum, cement and sand in connection with the crime.

The defence challenged the case, pointing out that there was no eyewitness to the murder. The lawyers also questioned the circumstances of the crime and argued that the accused had been implicated in connection with a property dispute.

The trial saw 126 hearings, with more than 22 witnesses examined. Final arguments were completed on September 17, following which the court fixed September 30 for pronouncement of the verdict.

Security was tightened at the Meerut court complex ahead of Wednesday's verdict.

During an earlier court appearance in March 2025, Sahil was assaulted by a group of lawyers when he was produced before the court amid tight security. Police intervened and took him away.

- Ends