{
  "id": 14528989,
  "title": "’Blue drum’ murder case: Meerut court sentences wife, partner to death",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/blue-drum-murder-case-meerut-court-sentences-wife-partner-to-death",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-14T20:08:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/blue-drum-murder-case-meerut-court-sentences-wife-partner-to-death/article71583932.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Meerut court handed down a death sentence to Muskan Rastogi and her partner, Sahil Shukla, for the brutal murder of Saurabh Rajput. The body of the 35-year-old merchant navy officer was found dismembered and encased in cement in a plastic drum in March 2025. The crime came to light two weeks after Saurabh disappeared, prompting police to recover his remains from the house he shared with Muskan. Prosecutors described the murder as having been committed by drugging the victim, stabbing him to death, and dismembering his body, which was then placed in the drum and left during a vacation in Himachal Pradesh. Muskan, who was pregnant at the time, gave birth to a daughter while incarcerated. The court also imposed fines totaling ₹70,000 on each convict for the murder and the destruction of evidence.",
  "summary": "Justice requires punishment proportionate to the gravity of the oence, says judge referring to the Mahabharata; Saurabh was killed on March 3 last year, his body was discovered 2 weeks later",
  "key_points": [
    "Meerut court sentences Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla to death for 'Blue drum' murder.",
    "Saurabh Rajput's dismembered body found in plastic drum in March 2025.",
    "Convicts fined ₹70,000 each for murder and evidence destruction."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}