Meerut Blue Drum Murder Case: Muskan Rastogi and Lover Sahil Shukla Sentenced to Death

A court in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, on Wednesday sentenced Muskan Rastogi and her lover, Sahil Shukla, to death in the ‘Blue Drum murder case’. They were accused of murdering Muskan’s husband, Saurabh Rajput, dismembering his body and concealing it inside a drum.

The Meerut district court had convicted Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla of murder and concealing Rajput’s body on September 30.

How the Murder Was Carried Out

According to the police investigation, on March 3, 2025, Muskan mixed an intoxicating substance into her husband Saurabh Rajput’s food, rendering him unconscious. Shortly afterwards, Sahil arrived at the house, and the two allegedly stabbed Rajput to death before dismembering his body in the bathroom.

The investigation found that, to suppress the smell of the decomposing body, they placed the body parts in a large blue plastic drum, filled it with sand, water and a fresh cement mixture, and sealed it.

Case Heard Over 126 Hearings

The case was presented in court on March 17, 2025, and transferred to the district judge’s court in July 2025. Arguments continued for nearly 13 months before the verdict was delivered.

The case involved 126 hearings and witness testimonies, during which the prosecution and defence presented their arguments before the district judge.

After the conviction, public prosecutor Vijay Bahadur said the court had found both accused guilty of murder and concealing Saurabh’s body.

“We had presented 22 witnesses at different stages. This case was based on circumstantial evidence. We presented the circumstances in a systematic sequence. All the testimonies supported the prosecution’s case,” he said.

He said the court found the evidence presented by the prosecution complete and that the prosecution had sought the death penalty for the accused.

Shopkeepers and Technical Evidence Supported the Prosecution

“Generally, in such cases, the minimum punishment is life imprisonment and the maximum is the death penalty,” the prosecutor said.

The prosecution presented a chain of circumstantial evidence, along with technical and physical evidence. Local shopkeepers testified that, before Rajput’s murder, they had sold Muskan and Sahil the specific blue plastic drum, cement bags, sand, large knives or cleavers, and razors.

Call detail records and mobile tower locations indicated that Shukla was present at the house around the time of the incident. The records also traced the pair’s joint travel to hotels in Shimla and Manali in Himachal Pradesh.

Family Sought Justice for Saurabh Rajput

Earlier, Rajput’s elder brother, Rahul, said the family’s only demand was justice.

“We want only one thing: what they did to my brother should happen to them as well,” he said.