Child born to Meerut blue drum murder accused Muskaan Rastogi to spend first six years in jail

Muskan Rastogi, lodged in Meerut district jail for the alleged murder of her husband Saurabh Rajput and concealing his body in a plastic drum, gave birth to a baby girl at Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College on Monday evening.

Jail authorities have informed that she has named the newborn Radha and both have been moved to Barrack 12A. Jail Superintendent Viresh Raj Sharma further told PTI that mother and child are healthy and that Radha will receive vaccinations from prison premises itself.

Moreover, in light of the situation, Rastogi will not get any jail duties from authorities and will only be assigned light labour in the coming months. Meanwhile, her child will be registered with the prison's anganwadi and creche facilities along with other necessities will be provided to the duo.


Sharma, the infant will live with her mother inside the women’s barracks as allowed under jail regulations, which permit children of female inmates to stay with them until the age of six. The prison administration will arrange clothing, nutrition, medical care and other support during Radha’s early years.

Officials added that once the child turns three, she may be enrolled in a pre-school programme that allows escorted visits outside the jail premises. A court will later decide whether she should remain with relatives or be placed under state care when she reaches six.

No relatives from Rastogi's family or her husband's family have so far visited the newborn.

Rajput family seeks DNA test

Even as the jail worked out arrangements for the newborn, tensions resurfaced with Saurabh Rajput’s family demanding a DNA test to establish the child’s paternity. The family alleges that Muskan was in a relationship with co-accused Sahil Shukla, and believes the test is necessary to determine whether Radha is biologically Saurabh’s daughter.

Relatives have also insisted that they will only accept responsibility for the child if DNA results confirm she is Saurabh’s. The request echoes similar concerns they raised earlier regarding Muskan’s elder daughter.

Muskan remains in judicial custody as the murder case continues in court, with the trial currently in its evidence-recording stage. The investigation had earlier alleged that Muskan and Sahil killed Saurabh on the night of March 4, dismembered his body, and hid the remains in a cement-filled drum before fleeing the city.

(With PTI inputs)