MEERUT: In a chilling twist to the brutal murder of ex-merchant navy officer Saurabh Rajput, 29, in Meerut, police have uncovered more eerie details about one of the accused Sahil Shukla, 27.
During the probe, police found Sahil’s room filled with tantric symbols, satanic graffiti and cryptic messages, purportedly indicating an “obsession with black magic”. A purported video of Sahil’s room is also being widely circulated on social media. Beer cans and cigarette stubs could be seen scattered around his room.
SP (city) Ayush Vikram Singh said on Friday, “Muskan had been planning the murder since Nov 2024 and knew Sahil was superstitious and took advantage of his weakness to control him… Sahil’s involvement in occultism is not evidential yet, but once we find concrete proof, it will become part of the probe.”
Saurabh was drugged, stabbed 10 times and his body was dismembered by wife, Muskan Rastogi, 27, and her lover Sahil. It all happened on the night of March 4. Police revealed Muskan manipulated Sahil using fake Snapchat accounts, posing as his deceased mother and convincing him that someone had to die.
Saurabh’s body was hidden in a bathroom for a night and eventually in a cement-filled drum for a fortnight. After committing the crime, the duo went on a 12-day holiday to Shimla.
Meerut SSP Dr Vipin Tada had earlier said, “After killing Saurabh, they wanted to dispose of the remains but failed. So, they left his body in the bathroom overnight along with the severed head.”
Police sources said Sahil Shukla was highly superstitious, and Muskan actually exploited this to manipulate him. And she made Sahil target Saurabh. The case unfolded when the woman admitted her crime to her mother, who took her to the police station.
Muskan’s mother, Kavita Rastogi, told a news agency, “I want to tell all the children out there that never hide anything from your parents. My child has committed a big mistake. I used to ask her continuously what the problem was, but she kept losing weight; she had lost 10 kg in 2 years. She hid a lot of things from us and that’s why she is in jail today… Had she shared something with us, she wouldn’t have been in this condition.”
Saurabh’s mother, Renu Devi, however, raised serious allegations against the woman and her parents. She said, “They are all involved. All the time, my 6-year-old granddaughter indicated that her father was in the drum.”
