MEERUT: Days after a 35-year-old merchant navy officer returned to India from London to celebrate his wife’s birthday, he was murdered by his estranged wife and her lover on March 4 in Meerut’s Brahmpuri region.
The accused, Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla alias Mohit, dismembered the victim, Saurabh Rajput, and sealed his body parts inside a cement-filled drum, police said. His decomposed remains were discovered nearly 15 days later on Tuesday in his rented apartment.
SP City Ayush Vikram Singh said, “Police received a tip-off about a foul smell emanating from the victim’s house. Upon investigation, we found his body chopped into multiple pieces and sealed inside a water drum filled with cement, presumably to hasten decomposition. The accused, Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla, have been taken into custody and booked for murder and destruction of evidence. They will be produced before the court on Wednesday.”
Police revealed that Muskan and Saurabh had married in 2016 despite their families’ disapproval, leading them to live in a rented apartment. The couple had a six-year-old daughter.
Investigators believe Muskan and Sahil killed Saurabh on March 4 before leaving for a trip to the hills. Meanwhile, Muskan misled Saurabh’s family by pretending he was alive.
Locals reported that Muskan had possession of the victim’s phone and was messaging his family to avoid suspicion while ignoring their repeated requests for speaking to him. Their crime was exposed when the police recovered Saurabh’s body.
Key highlights
- Saurabh Rajput, a 35-year-old merchant navy officer, was murdered by his estranged wife, Muskan Rastogi, and her lover, Sahil Shukla alias Mohit, in Meerut.
- The victim was dismembered and his body parts were sealed inside a cement-filled drum to hasten decomposition.
- Police discovered the decomposed remains of Saurabh Rajput nearly 15 days after his murder, following reports of a foul smell from his rented apartment.
- Muskan Rastogi misled Saurabh’s family by messaging them from his phone, pretending he was alive while they sought to communicate with him.
- Both Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla have been arrested and charged with murder and destruction of evidence.
