THE post-mortem of former merchant navy officer Saurabh Rajput has revealed the extreme brutality with which he was killed and the body dismembered allegedly by his wife Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla. His 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. 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. 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. Superintendent of Police (City) Ayush Vikram Singh confirmed the postmortem 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 thegruesomeattempt to conceal the body. “It was put in the drum and then filled with dust and cement.Thebody solidifiedin thecement anddidnotrotdue tolackof air.The smellwasnot extremely foul,”amember of the post-mortem team disclosed.

 

Thedrumhad tobecut open and the hardened cementpainstakinglyremoved to retrieve the body. MuskanandRajputgotmarried in 2016 against his family’s wishes, following a relationship and they had a sixyear-olddaughter.Muskanand Sahil had known each other since school and reconnected via aWhatsApp group in 2019, policesaid. Rajput’s familyhas claimed that Muskan’s behaviour was concerning from the beginning as she neglected householdduties and allegedly took to drugs. POLICEPLANTRIAL INFASTTRACK COURT: A SENIOR police officer Saturday said they would seek to put up Muskan Rastogi and her lover SahilShukla, accusedof killing her husband Saurabh Rajput, on trial in a fast-track court to secureaswiftconvictionin the case. Senior Superintendent of Police Vipin Tada told PTI that the police will prioritise filingachargesheetin thecase as quickly as possible. “We will try to run the case ina fast-track court so that the accused get punishment as soon as possible,” he said, adding police will seek to take Muskan andSahilin their custodyonce their 14-dayjudicial custody ends.