Two of the four men accused of helping Sonam Raghuvanshi kill her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in Meghalaya have allegedly refused to give statements before a magistrate. Both men had ‘confessed’ to their roles in the crime to the police.
“We sent only two of the (five) accused to the magistrate. They did not want to make any statement. We have ample material evidence against them. We are also waiting for the FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) report,” Herbert Pyniaid Kharkongor, Shillong City Superintendent of Police and head of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) handling the case, told NDTV.
Police had earlier claimed all the accused had confessed to their involvement in the murder. However, confessions made to the police do not hold up in court unless the accused repeat them before a magistrate under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
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The two accused were within their rights to stay silent and not confess in front of the magistrate, the SP leading the SIT said, reported NDTV. SP Kharkongor added that investigators have strong material evidence to build their case.
{{/usCountry}}The two accused were within their rights to stay silent and not confess in front of the magistrate, the SP leading the SIT said, reported NDTV. SP Kharkongor added that investigators have strong material evidence to build their case.
{{/usCountry}}Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi were taken before the magistrate on Thursday. In total, five people — Akash, Anand, Vishal Singh Chauhan, Raj Kushwaha, and Sonam Raghuvanshi— have been accused of plotting and carrying out the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi.
Meghalaya murder mystery
The police said that Sonam, who married Raja on May 11 in Indore, was in a relationship with Raj, who worked as an accountant in her family’s business.
Also Read | Meghalaya honeymoon murder: Sonam Raghuvanshi, Raj Kushwaha admit to their relationship
The newlyweds left for their honeymoon in Meghalaya, but went missing on May 23 after checking out of a homestay in Nongriat village. Raja’s body was found nearly 20 km away on June 2. Sonam surfaced in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur on June 8 and later surrendered. Akash, Vishal, and Anand were already in police custody by then, arrested from Uttar Pradesh and parts of Madhya Pradesh. Raj was held soon after.
Three more people have recently been arrested. They include Lokendra Singh Tomar, the owner of a flat where Sonam stayed in Indore between May 26 and June 8; Silome James, a property dealer who rented that flat to Vishal; and Balbir Ahirbar alias 'Ballu', a security guard from the area.