Indian woman and boyfriend get death sentence in 'blue drum' murder case

A court in Meerut, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, has sentenced Muskan Rastogi, 26, and her boyfriend Sahil Shukla, 28, to death for the murder of her husband, Saurabh Rajput. The couple was convicted on 30 September in a case that became known as the blue drum murder after Rajput's body was found in a large blue plastic storage container, locally called a drum.

The death sentences handed down on Wednesday still require confirmation by the high court, and both Rastogi and Shukla can challenge the verdict.

What the prosecution said

Prosecutors told the court that Rastogi and Shukla were school classmates who grew close while Rajput was working in London. When Rajput learned of the affair in 2021, he wanted a divorce, but his family persuaded him not to proceed because the couple had a young daughter.

Rajput was killed on 3 March 2025 during a visit to Meerut. Police said Rastogi gave him food mixed with sedatives before he was murdered. The pair fled to Himachal Pradesh but used Rajput's mobile phone to text his family, making it appear he was alive and traveling for business.

My brother was killed by cruel people.

— Rajput's brother

Arrest and family reactions

Rajput's family reported him missing a few days later. On 17 March, after Rastogi returned from Himachal Pradesh and visited her parents, her six-year-old daughter asked about her father. Rastogi first blamed her in-laws for the murder, but her own family took her to the police station. She confessed during interrogation, and she and Shukla were arrested and charged.

Rajput's brother told BBC Hindi that his brother was killed by cruel people. Rastogi's father told ANI news agency that his daughter and a friend murdered her husband at home, that she is not fit for society, and that she is a danger to others. Rastogi gave birth to a second child while in jail.