Meerut Cement Drum Murder Case

In March 2025, Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla murdered her husband, Saurabh Rajput, in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India. Muskan first drugged Saurabh, after which Sahil stabbed him to death. The pair then dismembered the body with a saw, placed the remains into a plastic drum, filled it with wet cement, and hid the drum in their bathroom. Saurabh's mother, Renu Devi, filed a missing person report when he vanished on March 4. During the investigation, Meerut Police discovered the cement-filled drum and uncovered the gruesome crime. Both accused were arrested and charged with murder and destruction of evidence. The case sent shockwaves across the nation due to its calculated brutality and the intimate betrayal.

As of mid-2025, both Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla remain in judicial custody. The trial is pending, with the chargesheet filed for murder and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code. No final verdict has been delivered.

Primary disputes centered on the degree of premeditation, the equal culpability of the female spouse, and whether capital punishment was warranted. Forensic psychiatric evaluations were debated. The case also raised legal questions about the destruction of evidence and the admissibility of the cement drum as a unique concealment method.

The Meerut cement drum murder triggered intense public outrage and dominated Indian media headlines. It sparked debates on extramarital affairs, the dark side of intimate partner violence, and the rare but growing instances of women as principal conspirators in brutal homicides. Women's rights groups and criminologists weighed in on societal pressures and relationship dynamics. The case also fueled political rhetoric on law and order in Uttar Pradesh.