Meerut murder: ‘Killer’ wife spends first night in prison; shuns jail food

Police intervene as lawyers trash accused Sahil Shukla while he was being produced in a court in connection with Merchant Navy officer Saurabh Rajput’s killing, in Meerut, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Muskan with Sahil allegedly killed her husband Saurabh, dismembered his body, and sealed the body parts in a drum filled with cement.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Muskan Rastogi, who with her lover Sahil Shukla confessed to murdering and dismembering her husband, Saurabh Rajput, spent a restless night in Chaudhary Charan Singh district jail here, showing signs of extreme distress, jail officials confirmed.

Viresh Raj Sharma, senior jail superintendent, said, “Muskan and her lover, Sahil Shukla, were brought to the jail around 6 pm on Wednesday. Muskan was placed in the women’s barrack [barrack number 12], while Sahil was assigned to the men’s barrack [barrack number 18].”

“Muskan remained silent and did not interact with anyone. She also did not eat the provided food,” he added.

While jail sources said that Muskan cried throughout the night, the jail superintendent declined to comment on this.

The sources further claimed that Muskan and Sahil asked to be placed in adjacent barracks.

On Wednesday, the duo was presented in the court of the chief judicial magistrate and remanded to 14-day judicial custody. Outside the court, they were attacked by a group of lawyers, who physically assaulted them. Sahil’s clothes were torn during the altercation, and police had to intervene to ensure their safety.

Mr. Rajput’s body, which was dismembered and encased in a cement-filled drum, was brought home after a post-mortem examination.

The body was cremated late Wednesday evening.

The investigation revealed that Muskan and Sahil were childhood acquaintances, having studied together from class one to class eight.

They reconnected through a WhatsApp group created by a mutual classmate, leading to a rekindled relationship in 2019, three years after Muskan and Saurabh’s marriage.

The two met in person for the first time since school at a party organised by the WhatsApp group at a mall in Meerut, where their love affair started.

Police have claimed that the duo planned and killed Saurabh because they considered him to be an obstacle in their relationship.