The murder unfolded on March 3, 2024, when Muskaan Rastogi slipped sleeping pills into Saurabh Rajput’s cup before the duo strangled him in a rented flat in Meerut’s Blue Drum area. The police recovered the body 14 days later, dismembered into 15 pieces and sealed in a concrete‑filled blue industrial drum, a grim signature that shocked the local community.
District Judge Arvind Kumar Mishra presided over 126 hearings and 22 witness statements before ruling that Rastogi and Shukla conspired to kill Rajput and conceal his remains. He cited the brutal method and the use of the blue drum as evidence of premeditation, handing down the death penalty for both accused.
Rajput’s mother Renu and brother Rahul expressed satisfaction with the verdict, noting the past year’s hardship but accepting the court’s decision. They also weighed the future of the unborn child of the accused, stating they would adopt the elder daughter born in jail on November 24, 2023, yet declined to adopt the younger daughter, whose paternity remains contested.
The family’s stance underscores a personal tragedy: a teenage daughter born in a jail corridor on her father’s birthday, now caught in the crossfire of a legal and moral dilemma. The decision to potentially adopt the elder child reflects a desire to preserve kinship ties amid the fallout.
Looking ahead, Renu said the family may approach higher courts if necessary, indicating a possible appeal to the Delhi High Court to challenge the death sentences or seek a review.