Ex-merchant navy officer murder: Accused stayed in Himachal’s Kasol to cover tracks

Lovers Muskan Rastogi (27) and Sahil Shukla (25), arrested in connection with murder of the former’s husband Saurabh, stayed in Himachal Pradesh’s Kasol for six days after allegedly committing the gruesome act.

Saurabh Rajput (29), a former Merchant Navy officer, 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.

After the murder, the duo travelled to Himachal Pradesh, attempting to cover their tracks, before returning to Meerut on March 17.

The couple introduced themselves as husband and wife, checked into a hotel in Kasol on March 10, stayed for six days, and left on March 16.

Their driver accompanied them, said hotel operator Aman Kumar on Saturday.

Usually, tourists come to Kasol to see new places and enjoy the scenic beauty of the place, but this couple stayed in their room (203) the whole day and only went out once a day in a car, which was unusual, he said.

They did not meet anybody, did not allow hotel staff to clean the room and had minimum interaction with the staff, Kumar said, adding that during check out, the couple told the hotel operator that they had come from Manali and would go back to Uttar Pradesh.

Meanwhile, a senior police officer on Saturday said they would seek to put up Rastogi and Shukla on trial in a fast-track court to secure a swift conviction in the case.

SSP Vipin Tada said that the police will prioritise filing a chargesheet in the case as quickly as possible.