In one of the most disturbing murder cases in recent memory, a critical mistake made by Muskaan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla led to the shocking unravelling of their cold-blooded crime — the brutal killing and dismembering of Muskaan’s husband, Saurabh Rajput.

The duo, accused of murdering the Merchant Navy officer on March 3, had chopped his body into 15 pieces and sealed them inside a large plastic drum filled with wet cement. They believed the cement would mask the crime — at least long enough for them to dispose of it after returning from a vacation in Himachal Pradesh.

However, what they hadn’t anticipated was the sheer weight of the cement-sealed drum. After returning from their two-week getaway on March 17, they called labourers to discreetly move the drum and dump it. But as the labourers struggled to lift it, the lid loosened — releasing the overpowering stench of decomposition.

Spooked by the smell and suspicious of the contents, the workers left. A panicked Muskaan fled to her parents’ house. There, she initially tried to pin the crime on Saurabh’s sister and brother-in-law. But under pressure from her family, she broke down and confessed. Her parents took her to the police, where she admitted her and Sahil’s involvement in the murder. Both have since been arrested and are in judicial custody.
 

"She was always polite, no one suspected a thing,” a neighbour said. “On March 17, she sat quietly by herself. Now I understand — she was figuring out how to get rid of the body.”

Saurabh and Muskaan married in 2016 and had a six-year-old daughter. Tensions existed between Muskaan and Saurabh’s family from the beginning, and the couple lived in a rented house. Saurabh, who worked in London, had returned to Meerut for his daughter’s birthday when he was allegedly drugged, stabbed, and dismembered.

Investigations have revealed that Muskaan and Sahil were frequent drug users. Muskaan’s parents claimed the murder was driven by the fear that Saurabh would put an end to their substance abuse. Ironically, they admitted that Saurabh had always supported their daughter — and now, justice must be served.

Saurabh’s family, meanwhile, alleged Muskaan had only married him for his wealth. Their worst fears came true when their son returned home — not to celebrate — but to die at the hands of the one he trusted most.