Meghalaya state DGP I Nongrang said on Monday, Sonam Raghuvanshi, a 24-year-old woman from Indore, allegedly orchestrated the murder of her husband - Raja Raghuvanshi
Shillong/Ghazipur
/Indore — 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, while revealing the shocking details of the chilling murder that
triggered manhunt in three states.
Raja was killed by men, allegedly hired by Sonam, who
surrendered before the Nandganj Police Station in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur,
after the arrest of three assailants -Akash Rajput (19), Vishal Singh Chauhan
(22), and Raj Singh Kushwaha (21) -- in overnight raids.
"The first person arrested was Rajput from Lalitpur,
Uttar Pradesh. The second was Chauhan from Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The third
was Kushwaha, also from Indore," East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem said at a
press conference in Shillong.
He said Sonam Raghuvanshi was currently in police custody
and added that on Monday afternoon, Anand Kurmi (23) from MP's Sagar district
was arrested.
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.
The husband and wife disappeared on May 23, hours after they
checked 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 said.
Police also recovered a bloodstained machete, 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, police said.
Uttar Pradesh ADG (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash said Sonam, a
resident of Govindnagar Khandsa in Indore, was found at Kashi Dhaba on Varanasi
Ghazipur main road on Sunday night.
According to Meghalaya Police, necessary legal protocols are
being followed for her transit.
"The arrests mark a decisive development in unravelling
the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of Raja and the subsequent
disappearance of his wife," it said.
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 on 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
added.
Sonam's father, who runs a business of Sunmica sheets used
in furniture, 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
heartbreak and 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 said.
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) for its 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,” Sangma posted on X in
the morning.
Meghalaya Deputy CM Prestone Tynsong confirmed that all
major suspects are now in custody.
