Meghalaya honeymoon murder: Three accused sent to 6-day police custody

The trio—Silome James, Balla Ahirwar, and Lokendra Singh Tomar—were brought to Shillong earlier this week and are currently lodged at Sadar Police Station

Three arrested accused were remanded to six days in police custody by the Court of the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Shillong, on Thursday in the murder case of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi.

Sonam and Raj confessed their relationship and the crime, while the SIT reconstructed the murder scene. (Representative file photo)

The trio—Silome James, Balla Ahirwar, and Lokendra Singh Tomar—were brought to Shillong earlier this week and are currently lodged at Sadar Police Station.

Confirming the development, East Khasi Hills superintendent of police (SP) Vivek Syiem said, “We have just begun their custodial interrogation. We will thoroughly interrogate them and ascertain the facts, especially regarding the concealment and destruction of key materials and evidence.”

Silome James, a property dealer and leaseholder of the building at Heera Bagh Colony in Indore, was arrested last Saturday from Bhonrasa toll gate in Dewas district, Madhya Pradesh, while trying to flee to Bhopal. The next day, he led the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the site where he had burnt a laptop bag reportedly belonging to Raj Kushwaha, Sonam Raghuvanshi’s alleged partner and co-accused.

Furthermore, on Wednesday, a country-made pistol, two magazines, and two live .32 calibre rounds were recovered from a nearby stream, while ₹50,000 in cash—allegedly taken from the same bag—was recovered from James’ car.

The second accused, Balla Ahirwar, a security guard at the same residential complex where Sonam had stayed while in hiding for ten days after the murder, was apprehended early Sunday from his native village in Ashok Nagar district, Madhya Pradesh.

Lokendra Tomar, owner of the flat at Heera Bagh Colony, Dewas Naka in Indore, where Sonam had reportedly taken shelter, was arrested on Wednesday June 25, from Gwalior following SIT’s request to Gwalior Police.

All three are under investigation for allegedly aiding in evidence concealment and tampering, including suspected involvement in the removal of Raja’s gold and diamond jewellery, Sonam’s phone, and ₹5 lakh in cash—items believed to have been in the burnt bag.

The five earlier arrested—Sonam Raghuvanshi, Raj Kushwaha, the prime accused, and the three alleged contract killers Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Anand Kurmi—are currently in judicial custody and will be produced in court again on Tuesday, July 1.

Sonam and Raj confessed their relationship and the crime, while the SIT reconstructed the murder scene at Wei Sawdong Falls near Sohra.

All eight accused in the case have been booked under Sections 103(1) (murder), 238(a) (destruction of evidence), 309(6) (criminal conspiracy), and 3(6) (illegal possession of arms) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). These charges encompass a range of serious offences, from homicide and conspiracy to destruction and concealment of material evidence, and illegal possession of firearms.