Merchant Navy's daughter witnessed murder? Told neighbors 'Papa Drum Mein...Hain'
What's the story
The mother of slain Merchant Navy officer Saurabh Rajput has alleged that her six-year-old granddaughter told neighbors that her father was in a drum.
Renu Devi implied the child might have known her father had been killed and then chopped up by his wife Muskaan Rastogi and her boyfriend Sahil Shukla.
"Some people said she was saying, 'Papa is in the drum.' She must have seen something. That's why they removed her from there," she said.
Murder details
Rajput's body was found dismembered in plastic drum
Devi recounted how laborers found the body parts when they were asked to empty the room for renovation.
"The owner of the house had asked them (Saurabh and Muskan) to vacate the room...They were trying to shift the body in a drum...The laborer could not lift it and asked her what was inside; she said house junk was there...The lid of the drum suddenly opened, and the laborers smelled the body from inside," she told ANI.
Parental support
Muskaan's parents want her to be hanged
Muskaan's mother, Kavita Rastogi, told NDTV that her daughter confessed to them about the murder, after which they immediately took her to the police.
Her parents also alleged that their daughter and Sahil were drug users who killed Saurabh because he would have prevented them from meeting up.
When asked about the motive for killing Saurabh, her father responded, "She told us that her friend (Sahil) feared Saurabh would stop their drug sessions."
Hidden addiction
Saurabh's family was unaware of Muskaan's drug use
They also admitted that their daughter was the problem, and wished justice for Saurabh, who they say loved Muskaan "blindly."
The couple has said their daughter deserves severe punishment for her role in Rajput's murder.
However, Devi accused Muskaan's parents of trying to mislead the investigation. They knew about the crime beforehand, she alleged, and had consulted a lawyer before going to law enforcement.
The Rastogis have demanded Muskaan be hanged for her role in Rajput's murder.
Marital discord
Relationship between Saurabh and Muskaan was strained
Saurabh and Muskaan had a tumultuous relationship. They had a love marriage in 2016, after which Saurabh quit his Merchant Navy job to spend more time with his wife.
But it didn't go down well with Saurabh's family, and tensions forced the couple to shift out of the family home.
They had their daughter in 2019, after which he rejoined the Merchant Navy.
He was killed on March 4, days after he returned home to Meerut for his daughter's birthday.