E-Paper
Meghalaya honeymoon murder: Sonam Raghuvanshi’s lover ordered ₹5,000 worth of groceries online for Indore hideout
Sonam’s alleged lover and the key conspirator, had ordered ration supplies worth ₹5000 online for her in the hideout apartment in Indore.
Sonam Raghuvanshi, accused of orchestrating the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, went into hiding at a rented flat in Indore that was reportedly stocked with groceries worth ₹5,000.
The flat, investigators say, was leased shortly after the killing by Vishal Singh Chauhan – one of the three alleged contract killers hired to eliminate Raja. Chauhan was reportedly the first to attack Raja with a machete, news agency PTI quoted police sources as saying.
Raj Kushwaha, Sonam’s alleged lover and the key conspirator, had ordered ration supplies worth ₹5000 online for her in the hideout apartment, a source told NDTV. Police believe the flat served as a temporary shelter for Sonam after she fled the murder scene in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district, where Raja’s body was found in a gorge near a waterfall on June 2.
Also read | Money was not the only reason why 3 hitmen agreed to kill Sonam’s husband Raja Raghuvanshi
The rented apartment in Dewas Naka, Indore, was secured on May 30—just a week after Raja was last seen alive.
Shilom James, who runs a property management firm in Indore, told reporters that Chauhan approached him to rent the flat for ₹17,000 a month, submitting a ₹34,000 security deposit.
“I handed over the keys to him but I am not sure he or any of his companions came there,” James claimed, adding that the building was new and lacked CCTV surveillance, reported news agency PTI.
Also read | Raja Raghuvanshi ‘was killed in fourth attempt’, says top cop in big reveal
James further said that he informed police about Chauhan’s rental agreement. The flat remains locked, and the keys are still with the tenant.
Also read | Raj was mastermind, had three backup plans for Raja’s murder: Meghalaya Police
Raja's family demands Sonam, Raj's narco test
Calling for a deeper probe, Raja's elder brother Sachin Raghuvanshi demanded that a narco analysis test be conducted on Sonam and Kushwaha. “We want the Meghalaya police to conduct a narco test so that the full truth behind my brother's murder comes out,” he told PTI.
Sachin claimed that Sonam and Kushwaha might be misleading investigators by blaming each other and expressed suspicion about the involvement of more people in the conspiracy.
He also alleged that Sonam’s family, particularly her mother, was aware of her relationship with Kushwaha before the marriage. Sachin said, “The case should be tried in a fast-track court and the culprits be given double life imprisonment.”
Meghalaya honeymoon murder case
Sonam and Raja were married on May 11 and departed for their honeymoon in Meghalaya on May 20. Raja was reported missing on May 23, prompting a police investigation. Sonam surfaced in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, nearly 1,200 km away from the crime scene, on June 9 and surrendered.
The murder has shocked the nation due to its chilling planning and dramatic developments.
Earlier, HT reported that five individuals have been arrested—Sonam, Raj Kushwaha, and the three alleged hitmen.
Also read | Meghalaya murder: Who is Jitendra Raghuvanshi? New twist in Raja Raghuvanshi case unfolds
Superintendent of Police (East Khasi Hills) Vivek Syiem earlier said, “The conspiracy to eliminate Raja Raghuvanshi was hatched in Indore, shortly before his wedding with Sonam on May 11, and the mastermind is Raj Kushwaha while the woman had agreed to the plot.”
Meghalaya Police say Kushwaha paid the trio ₹50,000 to carry out the murder, which was plotted in February in Indore.
However, cops maintain that the murder was not a typical contract killing. “The three young people were friends, and one of them is a cousin of Raj. It was not a typical contract killing. Yes, the plan was to kill and they did it as a favour to their friend Raj,” SP Syiem said.
(With PTI inputs)
