The six-year-old daughter of Meerut's Saurabh Rajput, allegedly murdered by his wife Muskaan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla, kept telling neighbours, "Papa drum mein hai", Saurabh's mother Renu Devi has said. The claim chillingly suggests that the child was aware of the murder and what followed.
Saurabh Rajput, who worked in London and was in Meerut to celebrate his daughter's sixth birthday, was murdered on March 4. His wife Muskaan and her lover Sahil chopped up the body into 15 pieces and buried them under wet cement in a drum, police have said.
Struggling to cope with the horrifying death of her young son, Renu Devi shared how pieces of his body were recovered from the plastic drum. "They (Muskan and Sahil) murdered my son on March 4 and went for a trip. The house owner had earlier told her to vacate the room for renovation. When they came back, he sent labourers to vacate the room. They could not lift the drum. When they asked her (Muskaan) what was in it, she replied it was full of junk."
Renu Devi said a stench filled the air when the labourers opened the drum's lid. "They called the police. By the time the cops came, she (Muskaan) had reached her parents' place."
Earlier, Muskaan's mother Kavita Rastogi had told NDTV that Muskaan had confessed to them that she had killed Saurabh and that they immediately took her to the police.
Renu Devi, however, alleged that Muskaan's parents were trying to mislead and that her mother knew about the crime beforehand. "They must have consulted a lawyer, so they went to the police station."
The heartbroken mother said in an emotional outburst that besides Muskaan and Sahil, all her family members must be hanged to death.
Asked if Saurabh's six-year-old daughter knew about his death, "She might have seen something. Some people said she was saying, 'Papa is in the drum'. She must have seen something. That's why they removed her from there."
Strained Ties
Muskaan's relationship with Saurabh's family was strained from the beginning. The two had a love marriage in 2016. Eager to spend more time with his wife, Saurabh quit his job with Merchant Navy. The marriage and his abrupt decision to leave the job did not sit well with Saurabh's family. This led to friction at home and Saurabh and Muskaan shifted to a rented house. Saurabh's family has alleged that Muskaan married Saurabh for money and that he trusted her blindly.
In 2019, Muskaan and Saurabh had a daughter. But the joy was short-lived. Saurabh came to know that Muskaan was having an affair with his friend Sahil. This led to tension between the couple and even the divorce option was considered. Eventually, Saurabh stepped back, thinking of his daughter's future. He moved to London in 2023 for a job. Back at home, Muskaan and Sahil came closer, an intimacy that eventually led them to plot a gruesome murder.
Muskaan's Parents Want Her Hanged
Muskaan and Sahil were into drugs and killed Saurabh because he would have stopped their meet-ups, her parents said. Asked what could be the motive behind killing Saurabh, her father replied, "She told us that her friend (Sahil) feared that Saurabh would stop their drug sessions."
Mother Kavita said Saurabh always supported Muskaan. "When he left for London, we told him she could stay with us. Muskaan didn't want to because she did not want restrictions. And Saurabh supported her. He was in London and our daughter lost nearly 10 kg. We thought she was upset he was away. We did not know that Sahil was pushing her to do drugs," she said.
The Rastogis have said Saurabh should get justice. "Our daughter was the problem. She got him separated from his family. And she has now done this." Asked what punishment they want for their daughter, the couple replied, with teary eyes, "She should be hanged. She has lost the right to live."
