Blue drum case: Saurabh's mother seeks death penalty for wife, lover after murder conviction

Meerut, Uttar Pradesh: The mother of slain merchant navy officer Saurabh Rajput on Wednesday demanded death penalty for his wife Muskan Rastogi and her partner Sahil Shukla after a Meerut court convicted the two of murdering her son and attempting to conceal his body.

"We want them to be hanged. Cut them up the way they cut Saurabh and put him in a drum," Saurabh's mother Renu Rajput told reporters, breaking down while recalling her son.

She said the two have been convicted and the court would pronounce the sentence after a few days. "We have not been told yet what punishment they will get," she said.

Renu said the entire family had been "depressed and troubled" since the incident. Asked when she had last spoken to Saurabh, she broke down and said, "He was my son. There is nothing to say. He was always in my mind, and he still is."

Meerut 'blue drum' case: Muskaan, Sahil held guilty in Saurabh Rajput murder case

She said if she ever got an opportunity to speak to Muskan, she would ask why she killed her son. "If Muskan had already made up her mind, she could have simply told him that she did not want to live with him," Renu said.

Saurabh's paternal aunt Kusum, who also accompanied his mother and brother to the court, demanded death penalty for the convicted duo. "They should also be cut into pieces," Kusum told reporters in the court complex after the verdict.

Saurabh's brother Rahul seconded the demand, saying that such punishment could potentially deter similar incidents.

A Meerut district court on Wednesday convicted Muskan and Sahil of murdering Saurabh and attempting to conceal his body. The court will hear their submissions on the quantum of sentence before passing the punishment order after 15 days.

The case relates to Saurabh's killing in March 2025. According to the prosecution, Muskan and Sahil killed him, dismembered his body and concealed the remains in a blue drum filled with cement in a horrific case that sent shockwaves across the country.

The trial concluded after 126 hearings, with the prosecution examining 22 witnesses.