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Meghalaya Police knew Sonam Raghuvanshi was behind Raja Raghuvanshi's murder days before her surrender: Report
Police also suspect that the plot to murder Raja Raghuvanshi may have been hatched even before his marriage to Sonam Raghuvanshi took place.
Meghalaya Police suspected Sonam Raghuvanshi’s involvement in her husband Raja Raghuvanshi’s murder days before she surrendered in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur. Authorities were already certain of her role in what is being referred to as the ‘honeymoon murder’ by June 3, just a day after Raja’s body was recovered in a gorge near a waterfall in Sohra, East Khasi Hills district.
Meghalaya deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong said some of the accused in the Indore-based businessman's murder case have already confessed to the crime, and that Sonam Raghuvanshi is also “fully involved”.
“All the accused have been arrested from different places - one in Madhya Pradesh, the other in Uttar Pradesh. An SIT of Meghalaya Police went down to these two places. Some of them have also confessed to the crime they committed. The moment we were able to pick Sonam Raghuvanshi, being the prime suspect in the killing, we all came to know that she is fully involved in this operation during their stay here in Meghalaya,” the deputy CM said.
NDTV reported that Meghalaya Police claimed to have arrested all individuals connected to the plot to kill Raja, a resident of Indore, as part of an investigation codenamed 'Operation Honeymoon'.
Unnamed sources told NDTV that a core team of 20 officers led the probe that unravelled the “missing-turned-murder mystery” case, with as many as 120 police personnel involved overall.
Sonam Raghuvanshi, 24, is accused of masterminding the murder of her husband during their honeymoon trip. The couple had gone missing on May 23. A week later, on June 2, Raja’s body was recovered from a gorge with severe head injuries.
She was brought to Shillong late Tuesday night and will be presented in court on Wednesday along with four other accused who were also arrested in connection with the case.
A police escort team accompanied Sonam to Guwahati around 11 pm before heading to Shillong, which is about two hours away. East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem confirmed the developments and said, “We will also be seeking police custody to carry forward the investigation.”
Sonam possibly planned husband’s murder before marriage
Police officials believe that the plan to kill Raja Raghuvanshi might have been conceived even before his marriage to Sonam Raghuvanshi.
An official, speaking to Hindustan Times on condition of anonymity, said that the murder plot was likely planned before the couple’s wedding on May 11. “Kushwaha was in contact with the killers for some weeks,” the Indore police officer told HT, adding that the three accused men departed from Indore for Meghalaya on May 17 with ₹50,000 and a mobile phone allegedly provided by Raj Kushwaha. A separate Indore police official told PTI that Kushwaha chose not to travel to Meghalaya himself to avoid raising suspicion.
According to Uma Raghuvanshi, Raja’s mother, Sonam allegedly took ₹9 lakh in cash and some jewellery ahead of the honeymoon. She also said that Sonam didn’t book return tickets for herself and Raja.
The couple arrived in Meghalaya on May 21 and were reported missing three days later, after checking out of their homestay.
Sonam surrendered five days after the murder
Five days after Raja Raghuvanshi’s death was confirmed, Sonam Raghuvanshi surrendered at Nandganj Police Station in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh. She is accused of plotting the murder with her alleged lover, Raj Kushwaha. Three others — Akash Rajput from Lalitpur (Uttar Pradesh), Vishal Singh Chauhan and Anand Kuli, both from Indore — have also been arrested in connection with the crime.
Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) may take all five accused to Wei Sawdong Falls near Sohra to recreate the crime sequence.
Syiem added that after the murder, all the accused fled the scene and disposed of their phones and SIM cards in an attempt to eliminate digital traces. Despite this, police discovered that Sonam remained in contact with Kushwaha on the day of the crime, and he coordinated with the three hired attackers.
CCTV camera footage from multiple spots helped identify the suspects and has bolstered the investigation.
“That is why we have urged all homestays and establishments in tourist-heavy areas to install CCTV cameras. Even the smallest piece of footage can become crucial evidence,” Syiem said.
