Meerut “blue drum” murder: Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla sentenced to death for killing Saurabh Rajput

From the March 2025 murder to the death sentence: a timeline of the Meerut blue drum case and what the court said

October 14, 2026

“Deeply satisfied,” says Saurabh Rajput’s mother after the verdict. See the family’s reaction

Both were convicted on September 30 of murder and destroying evidence

A Meerut court has sentenced Muskan Rastogi and her partner Sahil Shukla to death for the murder of her husband, former Merchant Navy officer Saurabh Rajput, in the case that came to be known across the country as the “blue drum murder.”

The verdict

District and Sessions Judge Arvind Kumar Mishra pronounced the sentence on Wednesday, calling the murder gruesome. The two had been convicted on September 30 of murder and of destroying evidence. Both were produced before the court by video conference and appeared stunned. Muskan was seen in tears, while members of Saurabh’s family welcomed the judgment.

The court also imposed fines of Rs 50,000 under the murder charge and Rs 20,000 under the charge of causing the disappearance of evidence.

A long trial

The verdict follows a 13-month trial with 126 hearings and 22 prosecution witnesses. Government advocate Krishan Kumar Dubey called it a historic judgment, saying the prosecution’s evidence conclusively established the guilt of both accused. He argued that Muskan carried out the killing of the husband she married for love with a calm and composed mind, making the death penalty appropriate for a premeditated crime. He also said a woman being sentenced to death is itself a precedent-setting event.

How the crime unfolded

According to the prosecution, Saurabh, 29, was killed on the night of March 4, 2025, at his home in Meerut’s Indiranagar. Muskan and Sahil allegedly drugged and stabbed him, then dismembered his body, put the parts in a blue plastic drum and sealed it with cement. The couple then travelled to Himachal Pradesh. Police said they saw Saurabh as an obstacle to their relationship and had planned the murder for months.

After Muskan told her family about the killing, a case was registered. She and Sahil were arrested on March 18. Police recovered the drum from the house and later filed a chargesheet of about 1,000 pages.

The family’s reaction

Saurabh’s mother, Renu Devi, said she was “deeply satisfied” with the verdict and that the family had received justice, although the emotional scars remain.

A child in the picture

Muskan gave birth to a baby girl in jail after her arrest. According to the government advocate, the child can stay with her mother for six years.

What happens next

Under Indian law, a death sentence handed down by a trial court must be confirmed by the High Court before it can be carried out. The convicts also have the right to appeal.

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