“The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) coordinates with other agencies such as the Navy, Coast Guard, Border Security Force, and State ANTF to undertake joint operations to regulate drug trafficking,” MoS Home Nityanand Rai told Parliament

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta fired ‘sheeshmahal‘ jabs – a redux of barbs fired in campaigning for last month’s Assembly election – at predecessor Arvind Kejriwal and the opposition Aam Aadmi Party Tuesday, as she presented her government’s Rs 1 lakh crore budget for the city for 2025/26.

The reference to allegations Mr Kejriwal misused Rs 45 crore of taxpayers’ money to refurbish his former residence – were not the only attacks. She also called him “Delhi’s malik (owner)” and said he had betrayed a promise to “transform it into London” but left it with traffic jams and incomplete projects.

“There is a lot of difference between us… you made promises, we will fulfil them. You abused other states’ governments, we will work together. You made the ‘sheeshmahal‘, we will build houses for the poor. You installed (gold) toilets worth lakhs, we will make toilets for the poor…” she declared.

Ms Gupta also announced plans to develop Delhi into a ‘tourism hub’ – with the Bharat Mandapam, a trade hall, on the list of tourist attractions, she said – for which Rs 177 crore is to be allocated.

#WATCH | #DelhiBudget2025 | CM Rekha Gupta says, “… There is a lot of difference between us and them (AAP)… You (AAP) made promises, we will fulfil them. You abused the governments of the other states, we will establish harmony and work together… You made ‘Sheesh Mahal’, we… pic.twitter.com/41fWqtK9Pm

— ANI (@ANI) March 25, 2025

“We will also include ‘sheeshmahal‘ on the circuit,” she declared, “We will sell tickets and show people the ‘sheeshmahal…”

Mr Kejriwal could not respond immediately as he was not in the House; the AAP boss lost his seat after a poor showing in the February election. The AAP, which won over 60 seats in 2015 and 2020, managed only 22 this time, and three-time MLA Mr Kejriwal lost his New Delhi seat.

The ‘sheeshmahal‘ controversy was widely seen as a key reason for the AAP’s defeat in last month’s election, with the BJP hammering Mr Kejriwal and his party over the alleged corruption.

Ms Gupta has been leading that charge; on the day she was to be sworn in as Chief Minister, the BJP leader vowed to turn Mr Kejriwal’s former residence – 6, Flagstaff Road – into a museum.

And, days later, her colleague Parvesh Varma – who defeated Mr Kejriwal to win the New Delhi seat – told reporters he would personally conduct a tour of the bungalow.

Fast-forward a month, and Ms Gupta’s jabs in the Assembly today underscore the BJP’s determination to use the ‘sheeshmahal‘ controversy to keep its rivals on the backfoot.

In another chilling revelation in Meerut’s Saurabh Rajpur murder case, police have found that eight days before the crime, Saurabh’s wife and prime accused Muskaan Rastogi bought two knives for Rs 800 and rehearsed how to stab multiple times. The investigation has also revealed that Muskaan, unsure of her skills with knives, bought a cut-throat razor and this was used to sever Saurabh’s head from his body.

Muskaan and her lover Sahil Shukla have been arrested for allegedly murdering her husband Saurabh Rajput at their Meerut home on the night of March 3. The body was chopped off into 15 pieces, put into a plastic drum and buried under cement. These pieces were recovered two weeks later after Muskaan confessed to her parents and they took her to the cops. Saurabh’s family had meanwhile filed a police after they could not contact him over the phone.

The investigation into the grisly murder revealed a sinister tale of addiction, betrayal and ruthlessness. Muskaan and Sahil, the investigation found, were into drugs and feared that Saurabh would stop their sessions. Saurabh also knew about their affair and had even considered divorce before changing his mind for the sake of his six-year-old daughter. Working in London, Saurabh was visiting Meerut for his daughter’s birthday.

‘Saurabh Wanted To Take Daughter To London’

According to police sources, the investigation has revealed that Saurabh’s London visa was about to expire and he had planned to renew it during this visit home. Saurabh also wanted to take his wife and daughter to London with him. But Muskaan had rejected this plan and said she wanted to stay in Meerut, presumably to be with Sahil. Saurabh had then decided that he would take his daughter along and had also applied for a passport for her.

The Night Of Murder

According to the probe so far, Muskaan drugged Saurabh with sleeping pills on the night of March 3. Once he dozed off, she stabbed him thrice with a knife. She then used the cut-throat razor to slit his throat. The task of severing the head from the torso fell to Sahil, who used a knife for this, the probe has found. The two then chopped off the body into 15 pieces. These pieces were thrown into the drum and sealed with wet cement.

Plant Plan Out, Cement Plan In

According to the investigation and the accused’s statements, the initial plan was to pour mud over Saurabh’s body parts and plant a sapling in the drum. But later, Muskaan and Sahil considered the stench factor and decided that wet cement would be a better option to conceal the body. They made one mistake: they did not factor in the drum’s weight and when they called some labourers to dispose it of, they could not even lift it. Muskaan panicked and confessed to her parents.