Meerut blue drum murder: Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla convicted, sentence yet to be decided
A court has found Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla guilty of murdering Saurabh; jail officials say both are restless and under stress.
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A court has held Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla guilty of murder in the much-discussed "blue drum" killing in Meerut. The court held that the two had together murdered Saurabh. The case had been talked about across the country. After the murder, the body was cut into pieces and hidden in a blue drum.
After the verdict, the jail administration said both convicts are restless and under stress. According to Veeresh Raj Sharma, senior superintendent of the jail, Muskan has for the past three to four days been asking to meet her elder daughter, who is about seven years old. She has not so far been allowed to meet the child. Muskan had also been offering prayers in jail for the past three days.
The superintendent said a change has been seen in the behaviour of both. They have eaten less at dinner and breakfast and are not sleeping properly. Sahil has also stopped speaking to fellow inmates.
Saurabh was an officer in the merchant navy. He had returned to Meerut from London on February 24, 2025. On March 3, 2025, Muskan, with Sahil's help, mixed a drug into Saurabh's food and made him unconscious. He was then stabbed in the chest as he lay asleep in the bedroom. After the murder, the body was cut into pieces and placed in a plastic drum, and cement mixture was poured over it in an attempt to hide the body. The investigation had found that Muskan went to Shimla and Manali to mislead the family and neighbours.
During the hearing in this sensitive case, both convicts were produced before the district court through video conferencing. The court put final questions to them on several issues, including the forensic report. Veeresh Raj Sharma said the two were produced separately before the court. The judge discussed the various pieces of evidence and reports with each of them, and both put forward their side.
The hearing was over in a short time. Both are likely to be called before the court again before the final decision on sentence.
