Muskan (R) and Sahil allegedly killed the former’s husband and hid his dismembered remains in a blue drum at his Meerut house

BAREILLY: After facing months of social boycott, the family of Muskan Rastogi, the prime accused in Meerut’s ‘blue drum murder case’ that hit national headlines in March, has purportedly pasted a ‘for sale’ notice on their house and plans to leave the city where they have lived for years. Muskan’s father Pramod said, “We no longer wish to stay in Meerut. We have got painful memories here… People have boycotted us. This was the first Diwali when no one visited our home. My daughter (Muskan’s sister) used to tutor kids, but now no parents want to send their children to our place. People don’t want to talk to us anymore.” After the murder of former merchant navy officer Saurabh Rajput, the family’s jewellery business collapsed and Muskan’s sister lost her job. On March 3, Muskan, 28, was accused of killing her husband and hiding the remains. Her lover Sahil Shukla helped her in the crime. On March 19, Saurabh’s body – in a dismembered state – was found inside a sealed, cement-filled blue drum at his Meerut home. The accused was arrested after they returned from a trip to HP. Both are lodged in Meerut jail. Locals claimed “Muskan’s family started behaving weirdly after the March incident”. Himanshu Kumar, a resident of Brahmpuri, said, “I’ve seen Pramod beating stray dogs. I confronted him a few times, but he continues to do so…” Another resident, Vijay Singh, said, “Almost everyone has stopped talking to them out of fear that police might include them in the investigation, if they do so.”