Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla, accused of murdering merchant navy employee Saurabh Rajput in the gruesome Meerut murder case, are reportedly battling severe drug addiction withdrawal inside the Meerut District Jail. Both accused, aged 27, have refused to eat as they struggle without access to narcotics, jail officials confirmed.
Lodged separately in the men’s and women’s barracks, the duo is under close observation by the jail’s de-addiction center and medical team. A jail official, requesting anonymity, described their drug dependency as “severe”, necessitating heightened precautions to prevent self-harm or harm to others.
Murder, Dismemberment, and Escape to Himachal
Muskan and her partner Sahil brutally stabbed Saurabh to death on March 4, later chopping his body into pieces and concealing it in a cement-filled drum to hide the crime. After the murder, the couple fled to Himachal Pradesh, where they allegedly celebrated by playing Holi, cutting a cake, and posing for photos in snow-covered landscapes — shocking investigators with their lack of remorse.
They were arrested upon returning to Meerut on March 17 and were remanded to judicial custody.
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Accused Demand Marijuana and Morphine
Sources revealed that both accused are severe injectable drug users. On their first night in jail, Muskan’s health deteriorated due to drug withdrawal. She reportedly demanded morphine injections to ease her suffering. Meanwhile, Sahil created chaos in the jail, aggressively demanding marijuana.
Jail officials confirmed that both have regularly abused narcotics, leading to intense withdrawal symptoms, including extreme restlessness and refusal to eat — a common sign of addiction.
Medical Treatment and Monitoring
The prison’s de-addiction center is now providing urgent care, with the medical team closely monitoring their condition. “Both will require at least 10 days of treatment to gain some stability,” a source said, highlighting the depth of their addiction.
Authorities remain vigilant as the murder case — already shocking due to its brutality — now also exposes the drug abuse angle, raising concerns about the mental state of the accused at the time of the crime.
