A Meerut district court on Wednesday awarded the death penalty to Muskan Rastogi and her partner Sahil Shukla for the brutal murder of Muskan’s husband, Merchant Navy officer Saurabh Rajput. The sensational crime, which shocked the nation in 2025, involved sedating, stabbing and dismembering Rajput before sealing his remains in a cement-filled blue plastic drum. The case came to light largely because of a six-year-old child’s simple yet haunting words: “Papa is in the drum.”

District and Sessions Judge Arvind Kumar Mishra pronounced the sentence after a 13-month trial that included 126 hearings and the examination of 22 witnesses. Both convicts appeared via video conferencing from jail and appeared stunned by the verdict. The court also imposed a fine of ₹50,000 each under Section 302 IPC and ₹20,000 each under Section 238A for causing the disappearance of evidence.

How the Crime Unfolded

Saurabh Rajput, then 29, had returned from London on 24 February 2025 to celebrate family birthdays. Muskan’s birthday fell on 25 February and their daughter’s on 28 February. According to the prosecution, on the night of 3 March 2025 Muskan mixed sedatives in her husband’s food. Once he lost consciousness, Sahil Shukla arrived at their rented house in Meerut’s Indira Nagar (also referred to as Brahmpuri in some reports). The two allegedly stabbed Saurabh to death.

They then dismembered the body—some accounts say into as many as 15 pieces—using cleavers bought earlier under the pretext of cutting meat. The body parts were wrapped in polythene and placed inside a large blue plastic drum that had been purchased in advance. The drum was filled with a mixture of cement, sand and water to mask the smell of decomposition and hide the evidence permanently.

After sealing the drum, the couple locked the house and left for a six-day trip to Manali, Shimla and Kasol.

The Child’s Words That Broke the Case Open

Saurabh’s family grew increasingly worried when they could not reach him. On or around 17 March 2025, relatives visited the house. Neighbours told them that the couple’s six-year-old daughter had been saying, “Papa is in the drum.” Saurabh’s mother, Renu Devi, later confirmed that neighbours had shared this detail with the family.

When labourers were asked to move the unusually heavy drum, the lid slipped open and a strong foul smell emerged. The workers alerted the police. On opening the sealed drum, officers recovered Saurabh Rajput’s remains. Muskan and Sahil were arrested shortly afterwards, on 19 March 2025, and allegedly confessed.

Police initially treated the child’s statement with caution, suggesting she might have overheard adults talking. Nevertheless, the combination of the child’s words, the neighbours’ accounts and the physical discovery of the body proved decisive.

The Trial and the Verdict

The police filed a nearly 1,000-page chargesheet. The trial began in July 2025 and concluded with conviction on 30 September 2026. The court found both accused guilty of murder and destruction of evidence. Sentencing was fixed for 14 October 2026.

During arguments on the quantum of sentence, the defence pointed out that no one had directly witnessed the killing and that both accused have daughters. The prosecution countered that the crime was meticulously planned, exceptionally brutal and fell squarely in the “rarest of rare” category. Judge Mishra agreed. While delivering the death sentence, he referred to the Mahabharata and the concept of dharma, observing that punishing wrongdoers is also a form of dharma and that the court must discharge its duty.

Advocate Krishan Kumar Dubey, appearing for the prosecution, described the verdict as historic. “The entire nation was watching. The evidence was so strong, significant and precise that it conclusively proved their guilt. She killed the husband she had married out of love, dismembered his body and hid the remains in a blue drum. It was a carefully planned conspiracy. The death penalty was the appropriate punishment,” he said.

Family’s Reaction and the Road Ahead

Saurabh’s mother, Renu Devi, expressed deep satisfaction after the judgment. “We feel very good; we are deeply satisfied that both of them have been sentenced to death. We received the justice we were seeking. We are extremely grateful to our lawyers and staff. We have nothing to do with the daughter who is in jail. As for the elder daughter—if her maternal grandparents hand her over to us without any conditions, we will keep her with us,” she said.

Muskan’s parents submitted a written statement to the court indicating they would not oppose the death penalty if awarded to their daughter. Muskan gave birth to a second daughter while in custody; that child remains in jail with her.

The defence has accepted the trial court’s order for now but plans to appeal in the Allahabad High Court. Under law, a death sentence awarded by a sessions court requires confirmation by the High Court before it can be carried out. A committee is expected to examine the matter within three months.

Why the Case Continues to Resonate

The blue drum murder was not merely a case of homicide. It involved betrayal within a love marriage, a carefully executed cover-up, and the accidental role of a young child in exposing the truth. The speed of the trial—13 months and 126 hearings—has been noted as relatively efficient given the volume of evidence. The court’s reference to dharma and the rarity of a woman receiving the death penalty have added to the public discussion surrounding the judgment.

As the matter now moves to the High Court, the central questions remain legal: whether the sentence will be confirmed, modified or set aside. For Saurabh Rajput’s family, the trial court’s decision has brought a measure of closure after more than a year and a half of waiting.

Conclusion: The Meerut blue drum case stands as a stark reminder that even the most calculated attempts to conceal a crime can unravel through the simplest of human moments—a child’s unfiltered words. The death sentences handed down on 14 October 2026 mark the end of one chapter, but the legal process continues. Justice, the court affirmed, includes the duty to punish those who commit the gravest wrongs.