Meerut Murder Case: Families Of Saurabh, Muskan Likely To Move Court To Seek Daughter’s Custody
The six-year-old child is currently living with her maternal grandparents (Muskan's parents).
Saurabh Rajput Murder Case: A fresh tussle has emerged between the families of slain Merchant Navy Officer, Saurabh Rajput and his murderer wife, Muskan Rastogi, as they are are most likely to approach the court to seek the custody of the couple’s six-year-old daughter, Pihu.
A Merchant Navy officer- Saurabh Rajput- from Meerut was murdered, chopped up and the 15-odd pieces of his body were put into a drum and sealed with cement. The investigation into the case brought to fore an extramarital affair between Saurabh Rajput’s wife Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla.
related stories
According to the media reports, the parents of Rastogi have approached to police to ensure that they get the custody of Pihu, while Saurabh’s elder brother, Rahul has also made a similar request.
The six-year-old child is currently living with her maternal grandparents (Muskan’s parents).
Custody Battle Intensifies
Muskan’s father, Pramod Rastogi, said that they have no interest in Saurabh’s property or bank balance. However, he emphasised that they will not allow Pihu to be taken away from them as she is like life to them.
“We have nothing to do with Saurabh’s property or his bank balance. I’m even ready to give this in writing. But I will not let Pihu be taken away from us. She is like life to us," he said as quoted by news outlet.
He further said that if Pihu would start living with Saurabh’s family, the child may remind them of his killer and they may eventually resent her. “At present, they may be staking a claim on her because Saurabh had purchased a small piece of land in her name in Meerut last year and if she remains with them, they will be the rightful owner of that land," he told Indian Express.
On the other hand, Saurabh’s elder brother, Rohit, also staked claim on the child. “I don’t have a daughter. Pihu is Saurabh’s daughter, and I am her uncle. I can raise her like my own. If she stays with us, we will feel Saurabh’s presence through her. We will approach the court for her custody," he said.
Saurabh’s mother Renu Rajput said they are prepared to fight every legal battle to get justice for her son.
Parents Are In London
Completely unaware of the tragic murder, Pihu still believes that her parents are on a vacation. Clueless about the horrifying murder of her father, she continues to ask for her mother and father.
To hide the truth, Muskan’s parents have told her that both are on a trip to London and will return soon.
Saurabh Rajput’s Brutal Murder
Saurabh Rajput and Muskan Rastogi married in 2016 for love after which the Merchant Navy officer left his job to spend more time with his wife. He also distanced his family for her. In In 2019, Saurabh found out that Muskan was having an affair with his friend Sahil which led to tension between the couple. Eventually, Saurabh decided to rejoin the Merchant Navy.
Saurabh’s daughter turned six on February 28 for which her father returned home from London. Muskan and Sahil had decided to murder Saurabh, as per their statement to the police. Muskan mixed sleeping pills in Saurabh’s food on March 4 and once he was asleep, she and Sahil murdered him with a knife. Following this, Muskan and Sahil chopped up the body, put the pieces in a drum and sealed it with wet cement in order to dispose of the body.
When people asked about Saurabh, Muskan told them he had gone to a hill station. She and Sahil then travelled to Manali and uploaded pictures from Saurabh’s phone on his social media handles- with the aim of misleading people. When Saurabh did not take any calls from his family members for several days, they filed a police complaint.
After the complaint, Muskan and Sahil were taken into custody where they confessed to the murder.
- Location :
- First Published: