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What police said on Meghalaya honeymoon murder: 'Wife Sonam Raghuvanshi hired men'
The Meghalaya police revealed on Monday that they had arrested three persons who were believed to have been hired to murder Raja Raghuvanshi.
The Meghalaya police achieved a major breakthrough in the murder case of Indore tourist Raja Raghuvanshi, arresting his ‘missing’ wife in connection with the crime.
Raghuvanshi, a newly-wed man from Madhya Pradesh's Indore, went missing on May 23 in the East Khasi Hills area while on honeymoon in Meghalaya. His body was found more than a week later in a ditch while his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, was believed to be missing.
The Meghalaya police revealed on Monday that they had arrested three persons who were believed to have been hired to murder Raja Raghuvanshi. The men were allegedly hired by Sonam to kill her husband. She has also been arrested after surrendering at the Nandganj police station in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur.
Meghalaya Director General of Police I Nongrang said Special Investigation Team (SIT) sleuths arrested the accused in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
"One accused from Uttar Pradesh and two more persons were held from Indore by Meghalaya Police SIT. The arrested accused have named some more persons. They revealed that the victim's wife had hired them," Nongrang told PTI.
"The operation is still continuing in Madhya Pradesh to catch some more persons involved in the crime," she said.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma congratulated the police for cracking the case that had shocked the state and the nation.
"Within 7 days, a major breakthrough has been achieved by the #meghalayapolice in the Raja murder case... 3 assailants who are from Madhya Pradesh have been arrested, female has surrendered and operation still on to catch 1 more assailant… well done," he posted on X.
The Raja Raghuvanshi murder case
Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife Sonam went missing during their honeymoon in the northeastern state, last seen on May 23. On June 2, Raja’s body was discovered in a gorge at Sohrarim near Cherrapunji, while Sonam remained 'missing'.
Raja’s brother, Vipul Raghuvanshi, told ANI, last week: We have written a letter to the Prime Minister requesting a CBI inquiry and submitted it at the commissioner's office. We want the PM and the Chief Minister to extend support to us, and the CBI investigation should be conducted into the matter. It could bring justice to Raja and make finding Sonam easier. The way the Meghalaya police are working on this case, they won't bring justice to Raja."
Last week, a tourist guide said that the honeymooning couple from Indore, Raja and Sonam, were accompanied by three men on the day they went missing in Meghalaya’s Sohra area.
Mawlakhiat guide Albert Pde told PTI that he had seen the couple with three male tourists climbing over 3,000 steps from Nongriat to Mawlakhiat at around 10 AM on May 23.
He recognised the couple as he had offered to guide them down to Nongriat the previous day, but they politely declined and hired another guide.
"The four men were walking ahead while the woman was behind. The four men were conversing in Hindi, but I could not understand what they were speaking as I know only Khasi and English," Pde said.
He added that on May 22, he had offered to guide them to Nongriat, but they hired another guide named Bha Wansai, stayed at Shipara homestay overnight, and returned the next day without a guide.
"By the time I reached Mawlakhiat, their scooter was not there," the guide claimed.
