From a missing husband to a cement-filled drum: The case that got Muskan, Sahil the death penalty
A Meerut court on Wednesday, October 14, sentenced Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla to death for murdering Muskan’s husband, Saurabh Rajput, in the case widely known as the blue drum murder.
The two were convicted on September 30 after a trial that lasted around 13 months and involved 126 hearings.
District Judge Arvind Kumar Mishra pronounced the sentence after hearing arguments on the quantum of punishment. The prosecution had sought the death penalty, arguing that the crime fell under the “rarest of rare” category because of the manner in which the murder was committed and the subsequent attempt to conceal the evidence.
What happened in the blue drum murder case?
The case dates back to March 2025, when 29-year-old Saurabh Rajput, a former Merchant Navy officer, was murdered in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
His dismembered remains were concealed inside a blue plastic drum filled with cement and sand.
According to the prosecution, Muskan and Sahil conspired to kill Rajput. Investigators alleged that he was given a sedative before being killed and that his body was subsequently dismembered and concealed in the drum to hide the crime.
The murder came to light after Rajput’s family raised concerns over his whereabouts. Police subsequently searched the house and recovered his remains from the drum. Police arrested Muskan and Sahil in March 2025.
Trial lasted 13 months
The case went to trial over 126 hearings, with statements from 22 prosecution witnesses recorded during the proceedings.
The prosecution relied on circumstantial, forensic, and technical evidence to establish the two accused's involvement.
On September 30, the court found Muskan and Sahil guilty of murdering Rajput and concealing his body. The sentencing proceedings followed, with the prosecution seeking capital punishment for both convicts.
The death sentences mark the latest development in a case that drew widespread attention across the country because of the circumstances surrounding Rajput’s murder and the discovery of his remains inside the cement-filled drum.