Year Ender 2025: India in 2025 witnessed a series of crimes that sent shockwaves across the nation. Chilling revelations from high-profile crimes, including Meghlaya's honeymoon murder case and Meerut blue drum murder case, sparked widespread outrage and intense debate, with social media platforms being flooded with public reaction and commentary.
As 2025 draws to a close, let’s take a look at the gruesome killings of the year that dominated headlines and gripped public attention.
Meerut Blue Drum Murder Case
One of the most disturbing crime cases of 2025 came to light in Meerut on March 18, where a man identified as Saurabh Rajput was allegedly killed by his wife, Muskan Rastogi.
Police investigation revealed that Muskan had started an affair with his friend Sahil Shukla while Saurabh was away at sea. After Saurabh returned from overseas to celebrate his daughter’s sixth birthday, Muskan allegedly laced his dinner with sleeping pills and stabbed him to death with the help of her lover.
The two chopped Saurabh’s body into 15 pieces, stuffed them into a large blue plastic drum and sealed it with cement at his house in Meerut's Brahmpuri locality on March 19. Muskan and her lover were caught when Saurabh’s younger daughter told her grandmother, “Papa is in the drum.”
Meghalaya Honeymoon Murder Case
The Meghalaya Honeymoon murder case emerged as one of the most shocking crimes of 2025. Just twelve days after their marriage, Raja Raghuvanshi, an Indore-based businessman, went to Meghalaya for his honeymoon, where he was allegedly killed by his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi and her lover, Raj Kushwaha.
Investigation revealed that Sonam was in an illicit relationship with Raj Kushwaha, a former employee, and the two, along with Raj’s friends, plotted Raja’s death to make it look accidental. On May 23, hired hitmen allegedly attacked Raja with machetes while Sonam watched. Raja’s body was thrown into a deep gorge, and his phone was switched off to evade arrest.
Haryana Beauty Murders
Another chilling crime of 2025 unfolded in Panipat, Haryana, where a six-year-old girl, Vidhi, was allegedly drowned in a tub of water by her aunt, Poonam, over jealousy of her appearance. Police investigation revealed that Poonam killed four children, including three nieces and her own son, all drowned in a similar manner, as she did not want “anyone to look more beautiful than her.”
Earlier deaths in 2023 and 2025 had been considered accidental, but Vidhi’s murder exposed a chilling series of killings that shocked the nation.
Radhika Yadav Murder Case
Radhika Yadav, a former Tennis player, was shot dead in broad daylight by her father, Deepak Yadav, in Haryana. According to a 254-page charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Deepak confessed to shooting his daughter three times because of humiliation from neighbours and villagers who mocked him for “living off his daughter’s earnings.”
Unable to handle the dent to his self-esteem and “honour,” Deepak shot his daughter in broad daylight, highlighting the tragic consequences of deep-rooted patriarchal attitudes that continue to claim the lives of successful women in India.
Greater Noida Dowry Death Case
A woman identified as Nikki was married into a family in Greater Noida’s Sirsa village in 2016, where she was allegedly beaten up and set on fire by her husband and in-laws over dowry. A video of the incident surfaced on social media showing a woman being beaten and set on fire, reportedly by her husband and in-laws.
Nikki’s elder sister, Kanchan, who was also married into the same family, said that she and her sister faced repeated torture and harassment over dowry demands, highlighting ongoing concerns over dowry-related violence in the country.