Meerut: The family of Saurabh Rajput, who was allegedly murdered by his wife Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla, has claimed that occult practices played a key role in the crime.

While police have not confirmed these claims, Rajput's mother, Renu Devi, alleged, "Both Muskan and Sahil were deeply involved in occult rituals. They killed my son as part of their tantric practices."

Muskan’s parents, Kavita and Pramod Rastogi, accused Sahil of manipulating their daughter through occult beliefs and isolating her from her six-year-old daughter.

According to investigators, Rajput was drugged, stabbed to death on March 4, and his dismembered body was concealed in a drum filled with cement. Muskan and Sahil then traveled to Himachal Pradesh, misleading Rajput’s family by sending messages from his phone to avoid suspicion. The crime came to light on March 18, leading to their arrests.

Neighbours described Sahil as someone obsessed with mysticism, often wearing yellow and black kurtas with "Mahakal" inscriptions. His room was reportedly adorned with eerie sketches and religious symbols, fueling further speculation about his occult involvement.

"Many other scary images have also been found in Sahil's room. He used to go out only to feed cats and the lights in his room remained switched off most of the time," a neighbour said.

Meanwhile, Muskan's statements to police indicate that Sahil manipulated her into committing the murder, claiming it was necessary for their new life together.

A source in the police said, "Muskan has made it clear in her statements that Sahil had said that 'you will have to kill Saurabh, only then we can start a new life'."

"Sahil got Muskan to kill her husband. First, he made her sit on Saurabh's chest. Then he brought a knife from the kitchen, showed her how to wield it and directed her to insert the knife in Saurabh's heart thrice.

"When Muskan could not bring herself to use the knife, Sahil held her hand and made her stab an unconscious Saurabh in the heart thrice," the source said.

Asked about the claims about the alleged involvement of occult practices in the case, Superintendent of Police (City) Ayush Vikaram Singh replied, "All aspects of the case are being looked into." PTI