‘Papa is in the drum’: Meerut victim’s mother claims her 6-year-old granddaughter as saying

Police take away Merchant Navy officer Saurabh Rajput’s wife Muskan and her lover Sahil Shukla after they were arrested in connection with his murder, in Meerut, on March 19, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI

The mother of a former Merchant Navy officer, murdered by his wife and her lover, has made a startling claim that his six-year-old daughter knew about her father’s death and said ‘Papa is in the drum’.

However, police dismissed this claim, saying the girl might have known about it after the gory incident came to light.

Saurabh Rajput’s body, which was dismembered and encased in a cement-filled drum, was brought home in Indira Nagar area in Meerut after post-mortem examination. The body was cremated late Wednesday evening.

The deceased’s family has alleged that the parents of the accused wife, Muskan Rastogi, were aware of Saurabh’s murder well before March 18, when the police were officially informed about the crime.

Saurabh’s mother Renu Devi claimed his six-year-old daughter, too, knew about her father’s death.

“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.

However, SP City Ayush Vikram Singh dismissed this claim, stating, “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.”

Renu Devi also 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 on Wednesday.

According to the police, Muskan and her lover Sahil Shukla confessed to having stabbed Saurabh to death on March 4. The two then chopped his body, put the remains inside the drum and sealed it with cement.

The two were arrested on Tuesday and remanded in 14-day judicial custody Wednesday.

Murder accused show signs of extreme distress on first night in prison

Officials said Muskan and Sahil spent a restless night in Chaudhary Charan Singh district jail here, showing signs of extreme distress.

Viresh Raj Sharma, senior jail superintendent, said, “Muskan and her lover, Sahil Shukla, were brought to the jail around 6 p.m. 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.

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. Following this, a case was registered, the body was recovered, and Muskan and Sahil were arrested.

SP City Singh confirmed that Muskan had been planning Saurabh’s murder since November 2023. He also said that Sahil is superstitious and that Muskan exploited this by creating a fake Snapchat ID, impersonating Sahil’s deceased mother.

“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,” SP City Singh stated, adding that this aspect is being looked into further.

Muskan used this ruse to manipulate Sahil into believing his mother was communicating with him, said the SP.

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 also 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 said, revealing that Muskan believed her husband’s absence would go unnoticed.