Sonam Raghuvanshi, the main accused in the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi in Meghalaya, may have married her alleged boyfriend Raj Kushwaha while in hiding, the deceased’s elder brother has claimed, PTI reported.
Raja and Sonam went missing on May 23. His body was recovered on June 2 from a gorge near Sohra in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district.
Following the discovery, Sonam, who had resurfaced in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested along with her boyfriend Raj Kushwaha and three alleged contract killers for Raja’s murder.
Also Read | Kamakhya ‘nar bali’ remark: TV anchor, Raja Raghuvanshi cousin face police heat
Raja Raghuvanshi's elder brother, Vipin, has claimed that the Meghalaya police have recovered two mangalsutras from Sonam's belongings.
"We have come to know that Meghalaya police have recovered two mangalsutras. One was gifted to Sonam as per tradition when she and Raja married on May 11. The second one may be related to Sonam and Kushwaha's marriage. They might have married when she was hiding here," the deceased's elder brother, Vipin, has alleged.
Also Read | Two of Raja Raghuvanshi murder accused back out of 'confessions’ before magistrate
{{/usCountry}}Also Read | Two of Raja Raghuvanshi murder accused back out of 'confessions’ before magistrate
{{/usCountry}}He also attacked Sonam's brother, Govind, who had initially offered support to Raja's family and even visited their house to seek forgiveness for his sister's deeds.
“Now, Govind is giving statements in the media expressing his desire to meet Sonam. He can meet Sonam and also appoint a lawyer to save her. But if he wants to do all this, why did he come to our house after his sister's arrest and play with the emotions of our family?” Vipin said, according to PTI.
Also Read | Meghalaya honeymoon murder: Sonam Raghuvanshi, Raj Kushwaha admit to their relationship
"We are constantly getting betrayed by Sonam and her family," Vipin further alleged.
The murder case
Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife Sonam were reported missing during their honeymoon in Meghalaya on May 23. On June 2, Raghuvanshi's body was found in a deep gorge close to a waterfall in the Sohra area, also known as Cherrapunji, within the East Khasi Hills district.
As the search continued for Sonam, she emerged in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, around 1,200 km away from the crime spot, in the early hours of June 9 and surrendered before police.
According to police, Sonam conspired with her boyfriend Raj Kushwaha to hire three other men to kill her husband Raja during their honeymoon, nearly two weeks after their wedding. The three killers — Akash Thakur, Anand Kurmi and Vishal Chauhan — are friends and one of them is Raj’s cousin.