Blue drum murder: Rented house stays sealed even as owner tries to get it back

In Meerut's Brahmpuri area, a rented two-room house has remained sealed since Muskan Rastogi's husband Saurabh Rajput's dismembered remains were found inside a blue drum filled with liquid concrete. Muskan and her friend Sahil Shukla, both sentenced to death for Rajput's murder, are currently incarcerated at Chaudhary Charan Singh District Jail in Meerut.

Ompal Singh, the house owner, is now requesting the police to unseal a portion of his property, which has been locked since March last year. Ompal, a former handloom business owner, has asked Saurabh's family to collect his belongings once the police and Muskan agree on the arrangements. Saurabh and Muskan married in 2016; they were in love and eloped to convince their families to agree to the union.

On March 3, 2022, Muskan allegedly drugged Saurabh's food, leaving him unconscious. Sahil, who lived nearby and was in a relationship with Muskan, then allegedly stabbed and dismembered Saurabh, sealing his remains in the liquid concrete drum. Two days later, Muskan locked the rented house, took her daughter to her mother's home, and left for Himachal Pradesh with Sahil, returning on March 17 to be arrested.