Head, hands cut off, legs bent: Autopsy reveals shocking details of Meerut savagery

The Uttar Pradesh police said on Saturday (March 22) that they plan to fast-track the Saurabh Rajput murder case, as a post-mortem revealed the horrific brutality of his killing and dismemberment, allegedly by his wife and her lover.

Rajput's head was severed from the body, both hands were cut off from the wrist and his legs were bent backwards, suggesting an attempt to fit the body in a drum, the autopsy report disclosed. The cause of death has been attributed to shock and excessive bleeding.

Checked into hotel

After the murder, Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla travelled to Himachal Pradesh's Kasol on March 10 and checked into a hotel by introducing themselves as husband and wife. They left on March 16, the hotel operator said, adding the accused duo's driver accompanied them.

Also Read: UP: Merchant navy officer’s body found sealed in drum; wife, her lover held

Cops to prioritise filing chargesheet

They stayed in their hotel room the whole day, going out once a day in their car which was unusual, and had minimum interaction with the staffers who were not allowed to clean their room, he said. During check-out, they told the hotel operator that they had come from Manali and would return to Uttar Pradesh.

Senior Superintendent of Police Vipin Tada told PTI that the police will prioritise filing a charge sheet in the case as quickly as possible.

"We will try to run the case in a fast-track court so that the accused get punishment as soon as possible," he said, adding police will seek to take Muskan and Sahil in their custody once their 14-day judicial custody ends.

The gory details of the murder have attracted nationwide attention.

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Doctors who conducted the post-mortem reported that Rajput was stabbed in the heart with extreme force thrice, indicating a sustained and violent attack. "The blows from the sharp long knife pierced deep inside the heart," one of the doctors said.

Gruesome attempt

Superintendent of Police (City) Ayush Vikram Singh confirmed the post-mortem findings. "Muskaan brutally stabbed Saurabh in his heart, puncturing it. His neck was severed and both palms were cut off. The body was cut up into four pieces to fit it in the drum," the officer said.

The medical team further detailed the gruesome attempt to conceal the body.

"It was put in the drum and then filled with dust and cement. The body solidified in the cement and did not rot due to lack of air. The smell was not extremely foul," a member of the post-mortem team disclosed.

Body dismembered

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 March 4, his body dismembered and sealed inside a drum with cement. The duo then went on a vacation to Himachal Pradesh, all the while misleading Rajput's family by sending them messages from his phone.

The matter was reported to police on March 18, following which Muskan and Sahil were arrested.

Also Read: Meerut murder: Accused hid in Kasol for 6 days to evade arrest

Through investigation

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.

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 post-murder.

A video has been circulating on social media purportedly showing Muskan and Sahil dancing to music 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.

Also Read: UP: Merchant navy officer’s body found sealed in drum; wife, her lover held

Chats and audio messages

The source said Muskan's online chats and audio she exchanged with the driver of the cab in which she and her lover travelled to Himachal Pradesh were also circulated widely on social media.

"One such video showed Muskan had sent an audio message to the cab driver through WhatsApp, asking him to bring a cake," the police source added.

Muskan and Rajput got married in 2016 against his family's wishes, following a relationship and they had a six-year-old daughter. Muskan and Sahil had known each other since school and reconnected via a WhatsApp group in 2019, police said.

(With agency inputs)