Shillong, June 9: As the smoke over the sensational disappearance and murder of an Indore honeymooner in Meghalaya slowly clears after over 16 days, more chilling details of the gruesome murder of Raja Raghuvanshi are emerging with a twist that nobody expected.
With the victim’s wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, surrendering to police in Uttar Pradesh and four individuals, including her alleged paramour, now in custody, police said the murder of Raja was premeditated and driven by an alleged affair between Sonam and one of the accused, with his wife emerging as the prime suspect.
Revealing the details of the case that had the whole nation asking questions on the whereabouts of Sonam and the people behind the murder of Raja, Amit Singh, Additional Commissioner of Indore Commissionerate, Madhya Pradesh Police, told Hub News that the decision to kill Raja Raghuvanshi was made on May 16, just five days after his wedding with Sonam.
Sonam Raghuvanshi reportedly surrendered on Monday at the Nandganj police station in Ghazipur district, Uttar Pradesh. Ghazipur SP Iraj Raja told Hub News that she was detained from near a Dhaba based on information received from Madhya Pradesh Police and has been kept in an One-Stop Centre as the case relates to Meghalaya Police. He said there is no case against her in UP, hence she has not been questioned. They are waiting for Meghalaya police team to take her custody.
Meanwhile, giving more details, Additional Commissioner Amit Singh informed that all the accused individuals in the case have been arrested.
Four individuals have been arrested in connection with the case, from different parts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Two were arrested from Indore, one from another part of Madhya Pradesh and one person from Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Vishal Singh Chauhan, Akash Rajput, Anand Kurmi, and Raj Kushwaha.
The investigation revealed that Sonam Raghuvanshi allegedly had an affair with Raj Kushwaha. This relationship is believed to be the motive behind Raja Raghuvanshi’s death. Singh said Sonam and Raj finalised the plan to kill Raja on May 16, that reportedly included hiring contract killers to do their bidding alongwith Sonam helping them.
Singh said Sonam reportedly provided constant GPS locations of her husband to the co-accused while they were in Sohra, making it easy for the accused to track and reach Raja. He also revealed that Vishal, Akash, and Anand had travelled to Sohra (Cherrapunji) to execute the plan to murder Raja.
“Sonam has affair with Raj Kushwaha… this became the reason of death of Sonam’s husband Raja Raghuvanshi…. 16th of May they decided, after 5 days of marriage of Mr. Raja Raghuvanshi, they decided to kill Mr. Raja Raghuvanshi with the help of his wife, Sonam. Sonam was giving all GPS locations of her husband and these three fellows went there and with the help of Sonam, they killed Raja Raghuvanshi,” Singh said.
Meghalaya Police on Monday confirmed that the murder took place on May 23, after which the accused left the state.
Singh further stated that Meghalaya police and Madhya Pradesh Police have been in continuous communication for the past 15 days, working to uncover the truth behind the incident. Meghalaya Police’s technical team provided crucial clues and intelligence, leading them to conclude that Sonam was the main culprit in this mystery.
An SIT team of Meghalaya Police subsequently travelled to Indore, seeking assistance from local police in apprehending the accused.
All the accused in the case were arrested on Sunday night and Monday morning while Sonam surrendered before the Ghazipur police on Monday morning, around 3 AM.
The investigation is ongoing.
On the other hand, Vipul Raghuvanshi, the brother of the deceased Raja Raghuvanshi, has expressed shock, betrayal, and confusion over the events that unfolded. He revealed that he was unaware of the people now under arrest until their names surfaced in the media. But he knew Raj Kushwaha. He stated that Raj Kushwaha was an employee of Sonam and that the two were reportedly in constant telephonic contact.
Missing turned murder case
Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife Sonam, from Indore in Madhya Pradesh, had arrived in Mawlakhiat village (Elaka Mynteng) in Sohra (Cherrapunji) on May 22, 2025, on a rented scooty, intending to visit the famous Double Decker Root Bridge in Nongriat. They engaged a local guide, Bha Wansai, and spent the night at Shipara Homestay in Nongriat.
The couple checked out at 6:00 AM on May 23, 2025, with the aim of returning to Mawlakhiat. However, officials reported no confirmed sightings of the couple trekking back from Nongriat to Mawlakhiat or retrieving their scooty from the Mawlakhiat parking lot, despite significant tourist activity in the area.
On May 24, at 9:00 PM, the Sordar of Sohrarim reported an abandoned scooty. The vehicle was later traced to the missing couple via E-Challan on May 25, 2025, at 2:30 PM. Subsequently, their relatives filed an FIR.
Intensified search operations commenced on May 28 involving close to 50 people, with three dedicated search and rescue teams deployed, supported by K9 units, drones from NESAC, and personnel from a special operations team (SOT), and local villagers, focusing their efforts across the Nongriat-Pyndemdkhar-Mawlakhiat, Mawsahew-Wahkaliar, and Weisawdong areas.
After days of search, Raja’s body was found on June 2 by search and rescue teams from a deep gorge near the Weisawdong Falls area in Sohra.
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