'Papa is in drum’: Meerut victim Saurabh Rajput's mother claims granddaughter knew about murder
Meerut murder: Saurabh Rajput, a merchant navy officer, was allegedly murdered by his wife Muskan Rastogi and her lover, Sahil Shukla.
The mother of the Meerut murder victim, Saurabh Rajput, has claimed that Muskan Rastogi's parents knew about the crime but kept mum. They said the accused's parents informed the police about the crime because they were scared of legal action against them.
Saurabh Rajput, a merchant navy officer, was allegedly murdered by his wife Muskan Rastogi and her lover, Sahil Shukla.
Saurabh's mother, Renu Devi, has refuted Muskan's parents' claims of ignorance regarding the murder, accusing them of attempting to mislead the police.
"The truth is that Muskan's mother knew about the crime (before March 18). They went to the police station only to save themselves from legal action," Renu Devi alleged.
The police said Muskan and her lover Sahil Shukla confessed to having stabbed Saurabh to death on March 4. The two then chopped up his body, put the remains inside a drum and sealed it with cement.
Also read: ‘Skipped food’: How Meerut murder accused Muskan Rastogi spent first night in jail
Saurabh's mother also claimed that their six-year-old daughter knew about the murder.
"That is why, as we have come to know from some people, she (Saurabh's daughter) was saying, 'Papa is in the drum'," Renu Devi said.
What the police said on the Meerut murder
However, SP City Ayush Vikram Singh dismissed this claim.
"When Muskan was telling the story of the incident to the family members, the girl might have been present there. The girl did not know anything (beforehand) about this," he added.
According to police sources, Muskan went to her family on March 18 and informed her parents about the murder. The parents then took her to the police.
The police said Muskan had been planning her husband's murder since November 2023. She allegedly manipulated Sahil into believing that his dead mother wanted him to kill Saurabh.
"Muskan created a fake Snapchat ID in the name of her brother and then told her lover Sahil that his dead mother had appeared and was connecting via her brother's ID. Muskan also told Sahil that his dead mother wanted Saurabh to be killed," the officer told PTI.
Muskan also attempted to find a secluded location to bury Saurabh's body after the murder. Before Saurabh's return from London in February, she had purchased knives under the pretext of cutting chicken and acquired sedatives.
"Muskan knew that after Saurabh's murder, his family would not try to find him. Because Saurabh was not in regular touch with his family members for the last couple of years," said the SP.
"The family members of Saurabh, who were angry after his marriage with Muskan, had not spoken to him in the last two years when he was abroad," the police officer added.
Meanwhile, the police said Muskan spent her first night in jail crying. She also refused to eat her food.
With inputs from PTI
