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Indore man’s wife and man she was in relationship with plotted murder in Meghalaya
Indore’s additional deputy police commissioner Rajesh Dandotiya said Raj Kushwaha, the man Sonam, 25, was in a relationship with, planned the murder with her
A newly-wed Indore man’s wife and a man she was in a relationship with hired three assassins to take him out while the couple was on honeymoon in Meghalaya, investigators said on Monday based on a probe across three states.
Indore’s additional deputy police commissioner Rajesh Dandotiya said Raj Kushwaha, 20, the man Sonam, 25, was in a relationship with, planned the murder on May 18 after the couple got married seven days earlier. Kushwaha allegedly hired Vishal Chauhan, Anand Kumar, and Akash Rajput to kill Raja Raghuvanshi.
Dandotiya said that Sonam, who was traced to Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh on Monday, supported the plan and shared their location with the three assassins. He added that a Meghalaya Police team arrived in Indore on Sunday and arrested Kushwaha and Chauhan. Kumar was arrested in Sagar (also in Madhya Pradesh) while Rajput remained on the run.
Investigators said Kushwaha worked at a tiles distribution company of Sonam’s brother. They added that the Meghalaya Police tracked the accused using the call details of Sonam, who was in regular touch with Kushwaha.
Sonam’s father, Devi Singh, expressed disbelief over his daughter’s alleged involvement in the murder. “My daughter cannot kill anyone. I do not trust Meghalaya Police. I still demand a CBI [Central Bureau of Investigation] inquiry into the matter.”
Raja Raghuvanshi’s brother, Vipin Raghuvanshi, said Sonam was part of the murder, as she and her brother, Govind, were in touch with Kushwaha, who worked in his office.
Sonam was traced to a roadside restaurant at Nandganj in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur at 1am on Monday, over a fortnight after she went missing around 12,00 km away in Meghalaya. An Uttar Pradesh Police officer said Sonam identified herself at a centre for women in distress after she was found and rushed to a hospital.
People aware of the matter said Sonam did not say much when a senior police officer visited the centre and tried to speak to her.
Sahil Yadav, the restaurant owner, said Sonam was crying and asked him for his mobile to call her family. “I asked her to sit and gave her my mobile. Then she made a call... Thereafter, she returned my phone and kept sitting until police came and took her to the hospital.”
The people cited above said Sonam will be handed over to a Meghalaya Police team, which was expected to arrive in Ghazipur as soon as possible.
Raja Raghuvanshi’s body was found in a gorge near the Weisawdong Falls in Meghalaya on Monday last, prompting a multi-agency combing of a rugged and forested terrain in search of Sonam.
Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma said the breakthrough in the murder case was achieved within seven days with the arrest of the three assailants.
Meghalaya Police chief I Nongrang said the alleged killers were arrested two days after investigators found a fresh clue when a trekking guide told investigators that he saw the couple with three unidentified men the day the husband was last seen amid a search operation and demands for a federal probe. The guide said Raghuvanshi was walking with the three men, while Sonam followed slowly. He said he met the couple and asked if they needed a guide.
The couple went missing on May 23 from Sohra, around 50 km from the state capital, Shillong. Investigators on Tuesday last recovered a smashed mobile phone and a machete from the gorge, where Raja Raghuvanshi’s body was found, even as police struggled for a breakthrough despite an aerial operation to trace Sonam. Raja Raghuvanshi’s body was found after a drone spotted it.
The Meghalaya Police, fire and emergency services, State Disaster Response Force, National Disaster Response Force, dog squads, and West Jaiñtia Hills Adventurers and Mountaineering Association volunteers were pressed into the search operation.
An investigator said the machete recovered did not resemble the ones traditionally used in Meghalaya. The handle of the machete was covered in plastic, not wood, which is uncommon for locally crafted sharp tools.
The machete was sent for forensic examination to ascertain if it was used in the killing of Raghuvanshi, as police registered a homicide case and described Sonam’s disappearance as inexplicable and unusual. Police suspected foul play and believed Raghuvanshi’s death was not an accident. A Special Investigation Team was constituted to probe the case.
The scooter the couple rented was found abandoned in Sohrarim, about 25 km from the gorge, with the key in the ignition amid heavy rainfall and strong winds. A white shirt, medicine, part of a phone screen, and a smartwatch were recovered from the gorge along with Raghuvanshi’s body, which was identified by a tattoo on his right hand reading “Raja”.
