Chargesheet filed against Muskan, Sahil in Meerut murder

Police filed a chargesheet in a local court on Monday in connection with the gruesome murder of former Merchant Navy officer Saurabh Rajput allegedly by his wife Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla, a police official said.

The 1000-page chargesheet was filed in the court of Additional Civil Judge (Senior Division) Anuj Kumar Thakur against Muskan and Sahil for offences under sections 103 (1) (punishment for murder) and 238 (A) (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Saurabh was killed on the night of March 4 at his house in Indiranagar in Meerut district. His wife, Muskan, and Sahil are accused of drugging him and stabbing him to death. It is alleged they dismembered his body, severing his head and hands, and hid the body parts in a blue drum filled with cement.

After the incident, both of them went to Himachal Pradesh.

The investigation into the sensational case revealed that Muskan had allegedly been planning the murder since November 2023, according to the police.

Saurabh was killed "not because of tantra-mantra, but because he was an obstacle in their love affair", the police claimed.

Muskan was arrested along with her lover Sahil Shukla on March 18. Earlier, Muskan "confessed" to her family, after which they were arrested.

Both the accused are currently in jail.

Brahmapuri Circle Officer Antariksh Jain told PTI on Monday that the chargesheet details the murder conspiracy, evidence and has statements of about 34 witnesses. The case has been investigated bythe Brahmapuri police station in-charge Ramakant Pachauri.

Police sources said that according to the initial plan, the two accused wanted to pack the body in a suitcase and throw it away. A piece of bone was also found in the suitcase.

According to officials, the accused have been provided a government advocate.

Meanwhile, the jail administration said that Muskan is pregnant and has been kept in the women's barracks. Her family has distanced itself from her, while Sahil's grandmother and elder brother had met him.

A jail official told PTI, "On Saturday, Sahil's brother had come to meet him." Saurabh and Muskan had a love marriage in 2016, which was opposed by the family. In 2019, the couple had a daughter.

According to the police, due to deteriorating financial condition, Saurabh had a dispute with his family and he started living in Indiranagar. During this time, the relationship between Muskan and Sahil deepened.

The police said that Saurabh had filed for divorce in 2021, but the case was withdrawn due to the child. The couple's relationship remained strained.