Meerut ‘blue drum’ case: Muskan, lover Sahil found guilty of ex-Merchant Navy officer Saurabh Rajput’s murder

Muskan and her lover Sahil were found guilty on Wednesday, September 30, of killing Muskan’s husband, an ex-Merchant Navy officer, Saurabh Rajput. The final sentence, or punishment, is expected to be pronounced after 15 days.Police take away Merchant Navy officer Saurabh Rajput's wife Muskan and her lover Sahil Shukla after they were arrested in connection with his murder. (PTI)The verdict follows Saurabh Rajput murder case, in which the deceased’s body was allegedly found concealed inside a blue drum at his house. The case has seen 126 hearings and testimony from more than 22 witnesses, with the prosecution and defence presenting their respective arguments before district judge Arvind Kumar Mishra.The case reached the court on March 17, 2025, while Muskan and Sahil were sent to Meerut jail on March 19. The trial was transferred to the district judge’s court in July 2025, and arguments continued for around 13 months.Before the verdict, District government counsel Krishna Kumar Chaubey said, “All facts have been placed before the court, the witnesses have recorded their testimonies, and as such all proceedings related to this case have been completed. All that remains is the pronouncement of verdict, and tomorrow (September 30) is the next hearing in the case. There is nothing else left except to pronounce the verdict.”Chaubey said the prosecution had placed scientific evidence and the statements of 22 witnesses before the court.Also Read | Muskan, accused in Meerut ‘blue drum’ murder of husband, gives birth to baby girl in jailThe prosecution alleged that the murder was pre-planned and that the accused had purchased a knife, razor, cement, sand and a large blue drum before the killing. Police and forensic witnesses described the recovery of the body from the drum, while the post-mortem evidence documented injuries allegedly caused by sharp-edged weapons.The defence, however, has maintained that there was no eyewitness to the murder and has argued that the accused were implicated in connection with a property dispute.Also Read | Saurabh's headless body kept in bed box in Meerut, wife slept on it; lover took hands homeSaurabh’s mother Renu Rajput also accused Muskan and Sahil of killing her son. She told the court that Saurabh had married Muskan despite opposition from his family and alleged that Muskan continued to meet Sahil even after the marriage.According to Renu Devi and Bablu, Saurabh had married Muskan in 2016 after being in a relationship, and the couple lived with his family for around three years after their marriage.(With inputs from HT Correspondent)