On March 6, Merchant Navy officer Saurabh Rajput’s sister Chinki got a WhatsApp message from his number, asking if she would be in Meerut for Holi. She replied yes. Another message said he was away and would only return after Holi. Chinki did not know then that her brother, from whose phone she was receiving the messages, was dead and pieces of his body were buried in a plastic drum full of cement.
As chilling details of Saurabh’s cold-blooded murder, allegedly by his wife Muskaan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla, come to light, the Merchant Navy officer’s family has found that Muskaan sent those messages. But while the family members received messages from his number, he was not taking their calls. Worried over what happened to him, the family filed a police complaint. And when police questioned Muskaan and Sahil, the grisly tale of their extramarital affair and Saurabh’s brutal murder came to the fore.
Saurabh, who was in London for work, came home on February 24 for his six-year-old daughter’s birthday. He put up in the rented house he and Muskaan had moved to after differences with his family. For some days, he was seen taking his daughter to school. When people did not see him later and asked Muskaan where he was, she told them he had gone to the hills for a short break. The reality was unimaginable. Muskaan and Sahil had stabbed Saurabh to death, his body chopped up into 15 pieces and buried in cement.
Messages From The Dead
NDTV has accessed the WhatsApp messages Chinki received from Saurabh’s number. On March 6, a message asked if Chinki would be in Meerut for Holi. When she said yes, the reply was that he was out and would only return after the festival. Two days later, on March 8, she asked if he did not take his daughter with him. The reply was that the temperature where he had gone was -10 degrees Celsius and she would have been ill. Holi wishes were also exchanged. The day after Holi, March 15, Chinki asked when Saurabh would return as she was about to leave. The reply was he had a party planned and was not sure when he would be back in Meerut. Chinki asked her brother to enjoy himself. In turn, she was asked how the Holi at home was. On March 16, Chinki called over WhatsApp, hoping to speak to Saurabh. The call went unanswered. The next day, four calls went unanswered. The family grew suspicious and approached the police.
During questioning, it was revealed that Muskaan and Sahil travelled to Himachal shortly after Saurabh’s murder. They took his phone along and posted photos and videos on his social media accounts to mislead his friends and family. Messages were also replied to so that no one smelled a rat. But unanswered calls gave them away.
The Return, And The Confession
Muskaan and Sahil returned to Meerut on Monday. Her parents told NDTV that shortly after her return, Muskaan went home and told them that she and Sahil murdered Saurabh. “We immediately took her to the police station. She told us, ‘Mummy, we killed Saurabh’,” said Muskaan’s mother Kavita Rastogi. By then, Saurabh’s family had filed the case. Police took Muskaan and Sahil into custody and grilled them till they confessed to the grisly crime.
They also told the cops that Saurabh’s remains were in a drum full of cement and that they had planned to dispose it of. Police now faced the daunting task of recovering the pieces of the body. A man tried with a hammer and chisel, but it did not work. Eventually, a drill was used. Saurabh’s body pieces were recovered and sent for autopsy.
The post-mortem done, the body has finally reached Saurabh’s home. The Merchant Navy officer married Muskaan in 2016. It was a love marriage. Eager to spend more time with his wife, Saurabh quit his Merchant Navy job. However, the love marriage and his abrupt decision to leave the job did not sit well with his family. This led to friction at home and Saurabh decided to move out. Little did they know that he would never move back again.
The Drugs Angle
While police have not said anything about the motive behind the murder, Muskaan’s parents have pointed to a drug addiction angle. Muskaan and Sahil, they have said, were into drugs and killed Saurabh because he would have stopped their meet-ups. “She told us that her friend (Sahil) feared that Saurabh would stop their drug sessions.”
Mother Kavita said Saurabh always supported Muskaan. “When he left for London, we told him she could stay with us. Muskaan didn’t want to because she did not want restrictions. And Saurabh supported her. He was in London and our daughter lost nearly 10 kg. We thought she was upset he was away. We did not know that Sahil was pushing her to do drugs,” she said.
Saurabh, it is learnt, knew about the affair between Muskaan and Sahil — ironically his friend — since 2019. He had also considered divorce but stepped back for the future of his little daughter. The six-year-old is now with the Rastogis. Muskaan’s parents have said Saurabh’s family should get justice. “He (Saurabh) put everything at stake, left his parents, their property worth crores. And she got him (killed). He was our son too,” her mother Kavita said. Asked what punishment they want for their daughter, the couple replied, with teary eyes, “She should be hanged. She has lost the right to live.”