Doctors who conducted the post-mortem reported that Saurabh Rajput was stabbed in the heart with extreme force three times, indicating a sustained and violent attack
The accused, Sahil Shukla and Muskan Rastogi. File pic
The Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday said they plan to take the Saurabh Rajput murder case to a fast-track court, even as a post-mortem revealed the extreme brutality with which he was killed and his body dismembered, allegedly by his wife and her lover.
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According to news agency PTI, the autopsy disclosed that Rajput's head was severed from his body, both hands were cut off at the wrists, and his legs were bent backwards, suggesting an attempt to fit the body into a drum. The cause of death has been attributed to shock and excessive bleeding.
Following the murder, Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla travelled to Kasol in Himachal Pradesh on March 10 and checked into a hotel, introducing themselves as husband and wife. They left on March 16, the hotel operator said, adding that their driver accompanied them.
"They stayed in their hotel room the whole day, only going out once in their car, which was unusual. They had minimal interaction with staff and did not allow anyone to clean their room," he said. During check-out, they claimed to have come from Manali and said they would return to Uttar Pradesh, PTI reported.
Senior Superintendent of Police Vipin Tada told PTI that police would prioritise filing a charge sheet as quickly as possible.
"We will try to run the case in a fast-track court so that the accused get punished as soon as possible," he said, adding that police would seek custody of Rastogi and Shukla once their 14-day judicial custody ends.
The gruesome details of the murder have attracted nationwide attention.
Doctors who conducted the post-mortem reported that Rajput was stabbed in the heart with extreme force three times, indicating a sustained and violent attack.
"The blows from the sharp long knife pierced deep inside the heart," one of the doctors said.
Superintendent of Police (City) Ayush Vikram Singh confirmed the post-mortem findings. "Muskan brutally stabbed Saurabh in his heart, puncturing it. His neck was severed, and both palms were cut off. The body was cut into four pieces to fit inside the drum," the officer said.
Meerut murder: Saurabh Rajput was drugged, stabbed to death on March 4
The medical team further detailed the gruesome attempt to conceal the body.
"It was placed in the drum, which was then filled with dust and cement. The body solidified in the cement and did not decompose due to the lack of air. The smell was not extremely foul," a member of the post-mortem team disclosed.
The drum had to be cut open, and the hardened cement painstakingly removed to retrieve the body.
Rajput was allegedly drugged and then stabbed to death by his wife and her lover on 4 March. His body was dismembered and sealed inside a drum with cement. The duo then went on holiday to Himachal Pradesh, misleading Rajput's family by sending messages from his phone.
The matter was reported to police on 18 March, following which Muskan and Sahil were arrested.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (Meerut Zone) Kalanidhi Naithani has directed the force to conduct a thorough investigation, file a charge sheet promptly, and ensure strong prosecution to secure severe punishment.
Meerut murder: Statements of vendors who sold knife, drum and cement being recorded
As part of the investigation—now overseen by an inspector and monitored by an assistant superintendent of police—statements of vendors who sold the knife, drum, and cement were being recorded. Police are also investigating the accused’s activities after the murder.
A video circulating on social media purportedly shows Rastogi and Shukla dancing at a party.
"In the video, both are seen dancing to DJ music at a party while drenched in the colours of Holi," a police source said.
The source added that Rastogi's online chats and audio messages exchanged with the driver of the cab in which she and Shukla travelled to Himachal Pradesh had also surfaced online.
"One such video showed Rastogi sending an audio message to the cab driver via WhatsApp, asking him to bring a cake," the police source said.
Rastogi and Rajput got married in 2016 against his family's wishes after a relationship and had a six-year-old daughter. Rastogi and Shukla had known each other since school and reconnected via a WhatsApp group in 2019, police said.
(With PTI inputs)
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