MEERUT A district court in Meerut on Wednesday convicted Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla for the murder of her husband and merchant navy officer Saurabh Rajput, whose body was found hidden inside a blue drum in a case that shocked the region. They were found guilty of murder, destruction of evidence and criminal conspiracy.
District and sessions judge Arvind Kumar Mishra reserved the order on the quantum of sentence after concluding the trial and hearing final arguments from both sides. A large number of lawyers were present on the court premises during the proceedings. The judge asked Muskan to raise her hand and asked what she felt on the day of the verdict. Muskan replied: “We have done what we had to do. the judge observed that such a crime creates an atmosphere of fear in society, informed the DGC While pronouncing the verdict. The accused allegedly purchased a large blue plastic grain-storage drum, cement, sand and dust. The medical evidence included the testimony of Dr Dinesh Singh Chauhan, who conducted Saurabh’s post-mortem examination.
Around 4.30pm, when judge Arvind Mishra reached the courtroom, the video-conferencing proceedings for Muskan and Sahil were initiated from the district jail.
The two accused, who are lodged in Meerut district jail, were produced before the court through video conferencing amid tight security arrangements, according to district government counsel (DGC) Krishna Kumar Chaubey. When questioned further, she said: “I have nothing to say. Police said after the murder, the body was cut into pieces as part of an attempt to dispose it of and destroy evidence. The post-mortem findings showed that Saurabh died of excessive blood loss and shock, according to the prosecution.
Investigating police officers appeared before the court and presented evidence related to the case.
The prosecution, however, relied on the police investigation and medical and forensic evidence to establish its case. Because of a property dispute, the defence argued that there was no eyewitness to the murder and that the accused had been falsely implicated.
