Blue drum case: From brutal murder to death penalty; how horrifying case unfolded

Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla were sentenced to death for the murder of Saurabh Rajput.

MEERUT: More than 19 months after merchant Navy officer Saurabh Rajput was murdered, his body dismembered and his remains concealed in a blue plastic drum filled with cement, a Meerut court on Wednesday sentenced his wife Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla to death.The case, which came to light in March 2025, went through 126 court hearings and the examination of 22 prosecution witnesses before the district and sessions court convicted the two on September 30. The prosecution had sought the death penalty for both.

How the murder came to light

Rajput, 35, returned to Meerut from London on February 24-25, 2025. Muskan’s birthday was celebrated the following day.According to the prosecution, Muskan and Sahil drugged Rajput and stabbed him to death on March 4 before dismembering his body and placing the remains in a blue plastic drum filled with cement and sand.Investigators said the accused had initially considered disposing of the body in a suitcase but turned to the drum after they could not fit the remains inside it. The two then left for Himachal Pradesh.The crime came to light in mid-March after a foul smell emanating from the drum led to the discovery of Rajput’s remains on March 17.Muskan had allegedly told her maternal family about the murder, following which the police were approached. Muskan and Sahil were arrested on March 18 after returning from their trip.

A chargesheet, forensic evidence and 22 witnesses

Police filed a chargesheet of nearly 1,000 pages on May 12, 2025. It included forensic reports, call detail records, CCTV footage and statements from people connected to the investigation.The prosecution examined 22 witnesses, including Rajput’s family members, a cab driver, a medical store owner and people who allegedly sold the knife, drum and cement used in the crime.Investigators also recorded statements from hotel staff in Shimla, Manali and Kasauli, where the accused allegedly stayed after the murder.Police said there was no eyewitness to the killing. The prosecution relied on the evidence collected during the investigation to establish the case against Muskan and Sahil.The trial lasted around 13 months and involved 126 hearings. Final arguments concluded on September 17, with the prosecution seeking the maximum punishment.

Court convicts duo, awards death penalty

On September 30, district and sessions judge Arvind Kumar Mishra convicted Muskan and Sahil of murder and destruction of evidence. The court then fixed October 14 for sentencing, allowing the two to make submissions on the punishment.Both appeared before the court through video conferencing during the proceedings.On Wednesday, the court sentenced them to death, with prosecution lawyer KK Chaubey saying the judge referred to the Mahabharata while observing that punishing the guilty in proportion to the intensity of their crime was also ‘dharma’.The court also imposed fines of Rs 50,000 each for murder and Rs 20,000 each for destruction of evidence.Rajput’s mother, Renu Devi, had sought the death penalty after the conviction, saying the family had waited 18 months for justice.Following Wednesday’s verdict, she expressed gratitude and said she hoped the punishment would serve as a deterrent and spare other families similar trauma.The case became widely known as the “blue drum murder case” because of the manner in which Rajput’s remains were concealed.