A honeymoon trip to Meghalaya transformed into a comprehensive murder investigation when an Indore-based entrepreneur, Raja Raghuvanshi, was found dead days following the disappearance of him and his newlywed wife. Meghalaya Police stated that his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, planned the murder and colluded with her boyfriend, Raj Kushwaha, to carry out the crime.
Five people have been arrested in the case including Sonam Raghuvanshi, Raj Kushwaha, Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan and Anand Kurmi. Akash was caught from Lalitpur of Uttar Pradesh while the other three men were arrested from Madhya Pradesh. Sonam was arrested from a dhaba in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziapur on 9th June.
“On Monday (9th June), Sonam reached a dhaba at Ghazipur in UP around 1 am and informed her family about her whereabouts knowing that the cops would recover her from the spot. Her family immediately contacted Madhya Pradesh police, who informed the local police, leading to Sonam’s arrest. Sonam claimed that she was drugged and brought to Ghazipur and presented as the victim,” highlighted UP Police’s Additional Director General Amitabh Yash while talking to NDTV.
The main accused was then taken to a One-Stop Center after her medical examination. She appeared before a Ghazipur local court for transit remand approval. A team of Meghalaya Police also arrived there to take her into custody.
Sonam warned her mother before wedding
Vipin Raghuvanshi, the brother of the deceased has made shocking disclosures during an exclusive interview with Aaj Tak. He asserted that Sonam had forewarned her mother before the marriage and indicated that the consequences would be dire if the wedding took place. He disclosed that her mother was completely aware of the affair, yet she chose to conceal it.
He wanted her to be interrogated as well. Vipin mentioned that Sonam’s father would have terminated Raj Kushwaha’s employment if he knew about it, which is the reason his wife kept the relationship hidden.
Vipin informed that Sonam and Raja attended another wedding merely three days following the wedding where his brother complained to his family that she avoided him and sat in a corner, preoccupied with her mobile phone. Raja further voiced that he was quite displeased with her behavior. Nevertheless, they reassured him that it is a new marriage and that everything would improve with time.
Vipin even claimed that Sonam’s Mangal Dosha was quite intense and she was under the impression that it would be resolved after her husband’s murder. He added that she had already arranged to marry Raj as a widow after his demise to avoid any inquiries and suspicion. The police have also initiated an investigation into these allegations.
Raj Kushwaha at Raja Raghuvanshi’s funeral
On the other hand, alarming revelations have surfaced as the probe unfolds. According to reports, Raj Kushwaha drove a vehicle to bring people to the funeral of Raja Raghuvanshi. “When Raja’s body arrived, Sonam’s family, whose home is in Govind Nagar Kharcha area, had arranged four-five vehicles for people to attend the funeral,” stated Lakshman Singh Rathore, an eyewitness.
He added, “Kushwaha was driving the four-wheeler in which I went, though we did not talk. Only after seeing his photograph in the media post his arrest, I recollected this episode.” He was even observed comforting Raja’s father, Devi Singh, during the funeral, as seen in a video.
Uma Raghuvanshi, Raja’s mother, asserted that Sonam was the one who pressed for the honeymoon. According to her, she took ₹9 lakh from her son for the trip and even brought some jewelry. Raja informed her that they had not yet purchased return tickets and they might do so in a week when Uma inquired about their anticipated return date.
Sources unveiled that Sonam expressed disapproval of having an intimate relationship with Raja in a conversation with Raj Kushwaha, reported India Today. According to sources, she also discussed her intention to murder her husband three days after they were married, while talking to him. They mentioned that she purposefully picked a remote area to murder her spouse.
Raj lived closed to Sonam’s house and had a long-standing relationship with the family. They placed their full trust in him. Additionally, he was employed by them and he handled their bills and accounts.
An omnious phone call
Sonam Raghuvanshi last spoke to her in-laws while hiking up a rocky summit in the Meghalayan mountains to catch a view of a waterfall. She countered that the beautiful hills provided stunning vistas when her mother-in-law asked why it was necessary to embark on such a strenuous climb.
It appeared to be an ordinary exchange between a loving woman and her daughter-in-law, aside from the possible indications it presented about Raja’s murder during their honeymoon. The phone conversation was probably placed by Uma Raghuvanshi, prior to the couple’s disappearance on 23rd May.
She was first heard asking whether her son’s phone had resumed working in an unconfirmed audio recording of the call, suggesting that she had been attempting to contact him but was unsuccessful. “We are climbing. We will call once we reach,” Sonam replied. However, whether or not that promised call was ever placed is unknown.
“I was preparing food and I remembered that today is your fast. You have fasted, right,” she questioned to which Sonam answered, “Yes. I told them that I will not break my fast because of travelling.”
She stated that they were traveling and wouldn’t find anything in the jungle when Uma told her to eat some food that is permitted during fasting. When she pointed out that Sonam was breathing heavily, the latter retorted, “It is a tough trek. It’s a dense forest with a steep ascent.”
“Why did you go there? Couldn’t you see it without climbing,” she inquired but her daughter-in-law explained, “We went to see a waterfall. I had refused, but he (Raja) didn’t listen. It was so hectic. We didn’t even get proper food.” Sonam didn’t talk to the family again after that.
Sonam even posted “saat janmon ka saath hai (together for seven lives)” from Raja’s phone after he was murdered and dumped in a gorge.
On 21st May, the hitmen reached Guwahati and arrived in Shillong, the next day, according to a report in NDTV. The murder took place on 23rd May when the pair disappeared. According to sources, Sonam was spotted roughly ten kilometers from the scene of the crime and the killing took place before her eyes.
She had ordered the hitmen to kill her husband. Raja’s body was found to have numerous sharp wounds, including two significant ones on the front and rear of his head, according to the autopsy report.
The accused then met 11 kilometers away from the spot (Raj did not travel to Meghalaya). Sonam then traveled by train to Guwahati from where she departed for her place. When she got to Indore on 25th May, she met Raj who had made arrangements for her to rent a room. He remained at another hotel close by.
They subsequently set up a vehicle that transported her to Uttar Pradesh. Sonam turned herself in late on 8th June in Ghazipur where police stated that she was found with a fever and in a distressed state.
