What began as a honeymoon in Meghalaya ended in a murder and missing case; however, the case has multiple twists and turns. Raja Raghuvanshi was killed while his wife was missing for several days.
The couple from Indore was visiting Meghalaya when the case began. Days later, Raja’s body was recovered from a deep gorge beneath the Weisawdong Parking Lot at Riat Arliang. As per IANS, a machete was found nearby and is suspected to be the murder weapon.
The police on Monday informed that the wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, was arrested for allegedly orchestrating Raja’s murder by hiring contract killers. According to Meghalaya Police, Sonam was tracked down in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur, where she later surrendered at Nandganj police station.
The couple was on a honeymoon in Meghalaya when they went missing on May 23. Raja’s body was found ten days later, and Sonam had been missing for 17 days.
Apart from Sonam Raghuvanshi, three others have been arrested. According to Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, the assailants are from Madhya Pradesh and one is still absconding.
Chief Minister Sangma also acknowledged the breakthrough in the case and posted on X, “Within 7 days a major breakthrough has been achieved by the Meghalaya Police in the Raja murder case … 3 assailants who are from Madhya Pradesh have been arrested, female has surrendered and operation still on to catch 1 more assailant .. well done.”
Speaking to ANI, Sonam Raghuvanshi’s father said, “Meghalaya CM is lying regarding this case. A CBI inquiry should be done on him as well. I am sure that the CM is also lying. Union Home Minister Amit Shah should send the CBI there as soon as possible.”
“If she has done all this, she will be punished… I don’t know anything about the others who are reportedly involved… I had a good relationship with Sonam… I cannot blame Sonam right now. First, those three men should be investigated, and then Sonam should be investigated,” speaking to reporters, Raja Raghuvanshi’s mother said.
Ghazipur SP Iraj Raja said, “We got information from Madhya Pradesh Police that a woman, Sonam, is present at Kashi Dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur road. We reached the spot and recovered her. She was taken to the hospital for treatment and then to the One Stop Centre in Ghazipur.”
“We are in contact with the Madhya Pradesh Police and the Meghalaya Police. Their teams are going to reach here soon. They will do further investigation. Sonam spoke to her family members, who informed the Madhya Pradesh Police. The concerned police will investigate the incident that took place in Meghalaya. We were just informed to recover Sonam from the spot…”
Addl. DCP (Crime) Rajesh Dandotiya explained the timeline of the Raghuvanshi couple’s marriage and said that Raja and Sonam got married on May 11, and they went on vacation on May 20. Before they went missing on May 23, they were in constant contact with their family.
Raja’s body was found on June 2, and on Monday (June 9), Sonam was arrested for the alleged crime.
Speaking to ANI, he stated, “On 11th May, Raja Raghuvanshi and Sonam Raghuvanshi got married, and on 20th May, they went on a vacation. They reached Shillong via Guwahati. After reaching Shillong, they were constantly in contact with their family. On 23rd May, the couple had their last conversation with their family. After this, the family contacted Indore Police, which was in touch with the SP East Saura district and the couple’s relatives. On 2nd June, Raja Raghuwanshi’s body was recovered and identified. After the recovery of the body, a case of murder was registered.”
Sonam Raghuvanshi called her family members at around 3 am and informed them that she was present at the Kashi Dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur main road.
ADG Law and Order, Uttar Pradesh, Amitabh Yash informed, “Sonam Raghuvanshi called her family members at around 3 AM and informed them that she was present at the Kashi Dhaba on Varanasi-Ghazipur main road. Ghazipur Police took her to the hospital and then to the One Stop Centre in Ghazipur.”
The owner of Kashi Dhaba, where UP Police found Sonam Raghuvanshi, informed that she reached there at around 1 am and called her family later. He also highlighted that the woman did not seem mentally fine.
“Sonam came here around 1 am. She wanted my phone to call her family members, and I gave it to her. She started crying when she called her family. I took my phone from her and gave them the details about Sonam’s location. She was not mentally fine. After some time, her brother called me and asked me to inform the local police. Police arrived here and took her around 2:30 AM. Sonam was alone; I gave her water…” he said.
Meghalaya Minister Alexander Laloo Hek said that Raja Raghuvanshi’s family blamed the Meghalaya government and police, but the police did an ‘excellent’ job nabbing the culprits.
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