In brief
In Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla were sentenced to death for the March 2025 murder of Saurabh Rajput, whose body surfaced in a blue plastic drum. The court words the case as the “blue drum murder” after witnesses identified the container as the crime scene. The couple, who were classmates years earlier, allegedly laced Rajput’s food with sedatives before killing him and staging his return to Delhi. Their sentences await confirmation from a higher court, and both defendants can appeal. The case has drawn severe criticism from Rajput’s family and the public over the brutality displayed.
The Uttar Pradesh court in Meerut has pronounced a death sentence for Muskan Rastogi, 26, and Sahil Shukla, 28, following their conviction for the March 2025 murder of Rajput. The case has earned the nickname “blue drum murder” after investigators recovered the body from a large blue plastic container. Both defendants were found guilty on 30 September, and the court’s decision is pending confirmation by a higher tribunal. They can proceed to appeal the ruling.
Rastogi and Shukla, once classmates, reportedly built a secret relationship when Rajput was posted in London. Their affair emerged in 2021; Rajput had wanted a divorce but was persuaded to stay for the sake of their young daughter. After Rajput’s murder on 3 March, the convict duo fled to Himachal Pradesh, yet continued to send fake messages through Rajput’s phone to mislead his family about his travels.
According to police, the suspect fed Rajput food laced with sedatives, then orchestrated the fatal event. Following the arrival of a police complaint after a stay of several days in Himachal Pradesh, Rajput’s daughter questioned her father’s whereabouts. Rastogi’s explanation failed to convince the family, and the parents took her to authorities. Surveillance of the domestic space led investigators to her confession and subsequent arrest.
Rajput’s brother sobbed that “My brother was killed by cruel people,” while Rastogi’s father decried his daughter’s actions, describing her as “a danger to others.” Over the course of her incarceration, Rastogi has given birth to a second child.
