Sohra, Jun 17: The Meghalaya Police on Tuesday brought all the accused in the murder of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, including his wife Sonam, to Sohra to recreate the crime scene, officials said.
Raja was hacked to death on May 23 while honeymooning in the northeastern state. His wife Sonam, her alleged boyfriend Raj and three hitmen have been arrested in connection with the murder.
“They were taken to a parking lot above the gorge where the body of Raja was found on June 2. As part of the investigation, the accused will be asked to demonstrate the scene indicating Raja’s final moments as per their statement,” a senior police officer told PTI.
A forensic team has also reached the spot, he said.
Raja’s decomposed body was found in the gorge near the Weisawdong Falls on June 2. The search continued for Sonam, who emerged in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur, around 1,200 km away, in the early hours of June 9 and surrendered, as police arrested her alleged boyfriend and the three hitmen.
The accused are in Meghalaya Police’s custody, and an SIT is probing the case.
DGP I Nongrang had said on Monday that the SIT was looking into the case from various angles.
“We are investigating whether there is anything more to this case. It is unusual that within a few days of marriage, she (Sonam) would develop so much animosity for her husband,” Nongrang told PTI.
“We are exploring all possible angles. There is enough evidence, and the loose ends are being tied up,” she added.
The hitmen, who were Raj’s friends, had allegedly attacked Raja on the head with a machete in front of Sonam at the parking lot of the Weisawdong Falls. They then pushed the body into the gorge, according to the police.
Sonam fled the state following the murder to reach Indore via Assam, West Bengal, Bihar and UP.
She, however, left behind her ‘mangalsutra’ and a ring in her trolley bag at a homestay in Sohra, leading the police to suspect her, police had said.
Meanwhile, a video posted by a tourist on social media has gone viral after Sonam and Raja were spotted in it. In the video, Sonam and Raja were seen ascending from Nongriat, hours before he was brutally murdered.
Police have confirmed the authenticity of the video to PTI.
East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem had earlier said that Sonam confessed to being a part of the conspiracy to kill her husband.
“At first, it appeared that Sonam and her boyfriend hired the hitmen, but later we found out the three were close friends of Raj and they killed Raja as a favour to their friend,” he said.
The SIT has also sought assistance from Assam Police and some other states, where the accused persons have been before and after the crime, an official said. (PTI)
