Shillong/ Ghazipur /Indore, Jun 10: Sonam Raghuvanshi, a 24-year-old woman from Indore, allegedly orchestrated the murder of her husband — Raja Raghuvanshi, during their honeymoon in the scenic town of Sohra in Meghalaya, state DGP I Nongrang said on Monday, revealing the details of the shocking crime that triggered a manhunt across three states.
Raja was killed by men allegedly hired by Sonam, who went ‘missing’ and surfaced in UP’s Ghazipur where she surrendered at the Nandganj police station after the arrest of three assailants — Akash Rajput (19), Vishal Singh Chauhan (22), and Raj Singh Kushwaha (21) — in overnight raids, police said.
“The first person arrested was Rajput from Lalitpur in UP. The second was Chauhan from Indore in MP. The third was Kushwaha, also from Indore,” East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem said at a press conference in Shillong.
In the afternoon, Anand Kurmi (23) was arrested in MP’s Sagar district, he said.
Sonam was taken into custody by the Meghalaya Police around 6.30 pm, and legal process for her transit to the northeastern state is underway, officials said.
The three persons arrested in MP were sent to Meghalaya on a seven-day transit remand by a district court in Indore, they said.
The victim, Raja Raghuvanshi, was found dead in a gorge near Weisawdong Falls in East Khasi Hills district on June 2, ten days after the couple went missing.
Raja and Sonam, who got married on May 11 in Indore, went to Meghalaya on their honeymoon. They disappeared on May 23, hours after checking out of a homestay at Nongriat village, 20 km from where his body was found.
Raja’s relatives identified the body through a distinctive tattoo on his right hand. A woman’s white shirt, a strip of medicine, a part of the LCD screen of a mobile phone, and a smartwatch were also seized at the spot.
Police also recovered a bloodstained machete (dao), which they believe was used in Raja’s murder.
A raincoat, also believed to belong to the couple, was recovered from Mawkma village, a few kilometres away from the gorge where Raja’s body was found.
Uttar Pradesh ADG (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash said Sonam, a resident of Govindnagar Khandsa in Indore, was found at Kashi Dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur main road.
Raja’s autopsy report revealed that he was hit twice on the head with a sharp object.
Syiem said the police saw two cuts on his head during the inquest after the body was taken out of the gorge.
PTI had on Saturday reported that a tourist guide in Mawlakhiat had seen the couple with three men on the day they went missing.
The guide said the couple was climbing over 3,000 steps from Nongriat to Mawlakhiat around 10 am on May 23.
He claimed that he recognised the couple as he had offered his services to them the previous day to see the famed living roots bridge in Nongriat, but they had politely refused and hired another guide.
He also said all three men accompanying the couple were speaking in Hindi, indicating that they were not locals.
While Meghalaya Police maintain that Sonam plotted the murder, her father, Devi Singh Raghuvanshi, insisted she was abducted and falsely implicated.
“My daughter is 100 per cent innocent. Meghalaya Police is misleading the media and not investigating the matter properly. The family has demanded a CBI probe, with Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav also writing to Union Home Minister Amit Shah requesting a central investigation,” he said.
Sonam’s father, who runs a business of Sunmica sheets, also said, “Kushwaha’s name is being wrongly linked with my daughter Sonam. Meghalaya Police are making false allegations against my daughter to save their skin. I will send a legal notice to Meghalaya Police.”
Meanwhile, Raja’s mother Uma Raghuvanshi expressed disbelief.
She claimed that the couple planned the trip to the northeastern state for their honeymoon but did not book the return tickets.
“My son went to Meghalaya with Sonam on her insistence. He did not want to go on honeymoon so soon. My son had told me that Sonam had booked tickets for the trip to Meghalaya. I told him that if the ticket has been booked, then he should go to Meghalaya with his wife,” she said.
“My son also told me that although Sonam had not booked the return tickets, they assured to return to Indore in six to seven days,” she added.
A heartbroken Uma said she was shocked to see the latest picture of Sonam (from Ghazipur) because there was not even a scratch mark on the body of her daughter-in-law, who went missing last month while Raja was murdered.
“I now want to hear from Sonam — why, how, and in what condition she left my son.”
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma lauded the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was probing the case for the swift progress.
“Within 7 days, a major breakthrough has been achieved… The woman has surrendered, and three assailants have been arrested. Operation still on for one more. Well done to Meghalaya Police,” he posted on X in the morning.
Asserting that Meghalaya is safe for visitors, Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh said legal action would be taken against those who harmed the image of the state.(PTI)
