Raja, Sonam Didn't Click Photos On Honeymoon, Raising Suspicion: Sources

NDTV

2 days ago

New Delhi:
A day after Sonam Raghuvanshi surrendered to killing her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, the police focused on picking clues from her phone. One thing which made officials suspicious was that the newly-wed couple did not click any pictures during their three-day trip - before Raja was killed and went "missing", sources said. Follow live updates
Instead, officials found that Sonam had posted a quote from her husband's social media account shortly after the sinister crime.
According to sources, the post read " saath janmon ka saath hai" (together for seven births). It is not yet clear whether she posted their wedding picture with it.
Raja and Sonam got married on May 11. Nine days later, they left for their honeymoon in Meghalaya on May 20 - with a one-way ticket in hand. The couple roamed around the breathtaking hills for three days before going "missing". When their family members could not reach them, they reached out to the police.
What initially started as a probe to find the couple, turned into a murder investigation when Raja's body was found in a gorge on June 2, ten days after the brutal crime. A machete, suspected to be the murder weapon, was also recovered. His preliminary autopsy report revealed that he was attacked twice - once each on the back and front of his head.
Sources revealed that Raja was murdered and the plan was allegedly hatched by his wife, Sonam, and her lover, Raj Kushwaha - who hired his three friends as 'contract killers'.
On May 23, Sonam took Raja to a hilly area on the pretext of a photoshoot. The three accused also followed them and initially spoke to Raja in Hindi. Eventually, Sonam pretended to be tired and started walking much behind her husband and the killers. As the five people reached a deserted place, Sonam shouted "kill him" - to the killers, sources said.
The murder happened in front of her, they said.
All this while, Sonam's lover Raj was not involved. He did not travel to Meghalaya, but Shillong Police sources suggested he did the planning behind the scenes and was in touch with Sonam.
How Sonam escaped to UP
Shortly after the murder, all four accused (Sonam and the three killers) assembled 11 kilometers away from the crime scene, sources said. Sonam then went to Guwahati from where she left for her hometown, Indore, by train. Upon reaching on May 25, she met Raj - who had arranged a room on rent for her to stay. He, however, stayed in another hotel.
Soon after, Raj arranged a car for Sonam, which took her to Uttar Pradesh. But they remained in touch constantly.
On Saturday night, the 24-year-old 'missing' wife was found in an unconscious state at a 'dhaba' in Ghazipur. She was taken to the Ghazipur Medical College for treatment, where she surrendered before the police, and was subsequently taken into custody.
The Meghalaya police then launched ' Operation Honeymoon ' by forming a 20-member team to locate the other accused. They carried out raids at the suspects' locations on June 7. The three accused were arrested in overnight raids.