Meghalaya honeymoon murder: Sonam Raghuvanshi blames Raj Kushwaha, Raj blames Sonam — cops grapple with contradictory versions
The investigation into Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi's honeymoon murder has intensified, with prime suspect Sonam Raghuvanshi and co-accused Raj Kushwaha now blaming each other.
NEW DELHI: The honeymoon murder of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi has entered a murky phase, with both the prime accused Sonam Raghuvanshi and co-accused Raj Kushwaha now turning on each other during questioning, leaving investigators to sift through a web of contradictions.
The SIT probing the chilling crime, codenamed Operation Honeymoon, has gathered crucial evidence from Indore and Ghazipur, as it attempts to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to Raja's murder in Meghalaya's Sohra region.
The 24-year-old Sonam, who is accused of plotting her husband's killing barely days into their marriage, was flown into Guwahati late Tuesday.
Raja's body was found in a gorge 10 days after he was last seen alive, with police suspecting the involvement of contract killers allegedly hired by his wife.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the gruesome murder of newlywed Raja Raghuvanshi has recovered crucial evidence from Indore and Ghazipur, as it works to piece together the chilling sequence of events that led to his killing in Meghalaya's Sohra region.
The 24-year-old wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, accused of orchestrating her husband's murder just days after their May 11 wedding, was flown to Guwahati late Tuesday and brought to Shillong on Wednesday for questioning.
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Raja's decomposed body was recovered from a deep gorge near Cherrapunji, 10 days after he was last seen alive. Police suspect the murder was a contract killing, allegedly carried out by three men hired by Sonam — Akash Rajput (19), Vishal Singh Chauhan (22), and Raj Singh Kushwaha (21).
The three were arrested in overnight raids soon after the body was found. Sonam, who had initially disappeared, later surrendered at a police station in Ghazipur, the hometown of Raj Kushwaha — her alleged boyfriend.
Codenamed 'Operation Honeymoon', the investigation has spanned three states — Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. On Tuesday, the SIT seized fresh evidence from the homes and hideouts of the accused in Indore and Ghazipur.
Police have secured a six-day remand for the three male accused and are seeking a three-day custodial remand for Sonam.
According to investigators, Sonam parted ways with Raja at Mawkdok — where their rented scooter was later recovered — and travelled alone to Guwahati by taxi. She then took a series of trains to reach Ghazipur. The three other accused too fled via Guwahati and eventually reached Indore by train.
Police are now reconstructing the full timeline of the crime — from the arrival of the alleged killers in Sohra to the execution of the murder — and are probing whether others were involved in planning the crime.
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