’Blue drum’ murder case: Meerut court sentences wife, partner to death

A Meerut court on Wednesday sentenced Muskan Rastogi and her partner, Sahil Shukla, to death for murdering her husband, Saurabh Rajput, whose dismembered remains were found in a cement-filled plastic drum in March 2025. Saurabh, a merchant navy officer, was killed on March 3 last year, and the body was discovered two weeks later. District and Sessions Judge Arvind Kumar Mishra pronounced the sentence after convicting the duo of murder and destruction of evidence. The case, which drew widespread attention because of the brutality of the crime, saw more than 100 hearings and the examination of 22 prosecution witnesses. Prosecution lawyer K.K. Chaubey told reporters that the judge referred to the Mahabharata while explaining the punishment, observing that “justice required punishment proportionate to the gravity of the offence”.