Traces Of Blood, Raincoat & A 'Khukri': New Clues Emerge In Meghalaya Murder Case
Last Updated:
The probe so far has revealed a chilling tale of betrayal and careful planning, with investigators noting that Sonam was resolute in her plan to get rid of her husband
A blood-stained shirt, a raincoat, and a 'Khukri' may hold the clues to the murder of Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, whose decomposed body was recovered on June 2 from a gorge in Meghalaya, where he was on his honeymoon. In a sensational twist to the case, Raja's wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi; her alleged boyfriend, Raj Kushwaha; and three others are suspected to be involved in the killing.
The probe so far has revealed a chilling tale of betrayal and careful planning, with investigators noting that Sonam was so resolute in her plan to get rid of her husband that she allegedly told her Kushwaha she would push Raghuvanshi off a cliff while taking a photo if the accused failed to kill him.
As per reports, Sonam's mother was aware of her daughter's affair, and the latter had warned her of 'consequences" if she was forced to marry Raghuvanshi. Vipin Raghuvanshi, Raja's elder brother, said a close acquaintance of Sonam's family told him that her mother had forced her to marry within their caste, regardless of her having an affair with someone else.
'Vipin alleged that Sonam agreed to compromise and marry Raja, but warned and said, 'You will see what I do to that person. You all will have to bear the consequences'. No one thought she would kill Raja," NDTV quoted a source as saying.
The most damning evidence collected by the cops so far is a blood-stained shirt belonging to one of the accused, Akash. Forensic analysis confirmed that the blood belonged to Raja Raghuvanshi. Apart from this, Sonam's raincoat with blood traces is now under forensic analysis, apart from the murder weapon—a khukri—which is being examined.
Police are also analysing the fingerprints of the accused on various surfaces, including the murder weapon and Raja's belongings, and looking into electronic evidence, including mobile phones and digital devices used by the accused, to piece together the crime.
NDTV reported that other evidence the police are looking into includes CCTV footage to track movements of the couple as well as the accused, hotel bookings, testimony from a shopkeeper who sold the khukri used in the murder, train and flight tickets correlating to the travel timeline of all suspects, and call detail records that prove Sonam was in touch with Kushwaha and the killers.
Amid the ongoing probe, while police have made some breakthroughs, there is no clarity yet on the money trail, including the Rs 20 lakh that Sonam had allegedly offered to bump off her husband, as well as the escape routes and hideouts the accused used after fleeing Meghalaya. Investigators have also not yet recovered Sonam's mobile phone, which may contain incriminating evidence that could help police narrow down and build a timeline of the case.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
21 minutes ago
- Time of India
RI caught taking Rs 40k bribe
Sambalpur: Vigilance sleuths on Thursday arrested Bhisma Pradhan, revenue inspector (RI) of Goudpalli revenue circle under Jamankira tehsil while accepting a bribe of Rs 40,000 from a landless complainant. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Pradhan had allegedly demanded the money in exchange of furnishing a favourable report in a land lease case and for issuing the record of rights (ROR) in favour of the complainant and his family members. Odisha vigilance in a release stated, "Since November 2024, the complainant was requesting Pradhan but Pradhan was demanding bribe Rs 40,000 to furnish a favourable report. Left with no other option, the complainant approached the vigilance authorities." Simultaneous searches are underway at two locations linked to the accused RI.
Time of India
21 minutes ago
- Time of India
Bengaluru: Truck owner imprisoned for letting unlicensed man drive
Bengaluru: In a rare but significant verdict, a city court has not only punished a truck driver for causing a fatal accident but also held the vehicle owner criminally liable for allowing an unlicensed man behind the wheel. The tragedy took place on July 17, 2023, when truck driver J Puttaswamy, 58, a resident of Byadarahalli on Magadi Road, mowed down a scooterist on the Kadugodi Railway bridge. Poornima S Hegde — a freelance professional and mother of a young daughter — suffered fatal injuries. Puttaswamy fled the scene, abandoning the truck. Thanks to swift action by Whitefield traffic police and the testimony of a witness who was riding just behind Poornima, the truck driver was identified and arrested. Subsequently, the court sentenced Puttaswamy to one year and nine months of simple imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 15,500. But the case didn't end there. In a pointed move that shifts part of the blame to systemic negligence, the court also found truck owner KV Ramesh guilty of handing over the vehicle to Puttaswamy despite knowing that the driver's licence had expired. "This conviction sends a strong message to all vehicle owners," a senior police officer remarked. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo "Allowing someone to drive without a valid licence isn't just irresponsible, it can be criminal." The court sentenced Ramesh, a resident of Vijayanagar, to three months of simple imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000. Investigators said the case was bolstered by clear witness testimony and forensic evidence. "The deposition made by the eyewitness helped in securing the conviction. He identified the driver in court during the trial, explained how rash driving by Puttaswamy resulted in the fatal accident, and how Puttaswamy, without lending a helping hand to the injured woman, ran away from the place," police said. Besides witness statements, bloodstains found on the truck matched those of the victim. "We collected bloodstains from the wheel and front portion of the truck. The same was tested at the forensic science laboratory (FSL), and reports confirmed that the bloodstains were of the victim. This matching of bloodstains also played a crucial role in securing the conviction," an investigating officer said. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
NDTV
41 minutes ago
- NDTV
Man's Body Found In Ice-Cream Freezer: Timeline Of Tripura Murder Case
Agartala: Sariful Islam, 24, a resident of Agartala's Indranagar who works as an electrician in Tripura capital's Smart City project, was in a relationship with a 20-year-old college student from Chandrapur neighbourhood. But they were about to break up since both belonged to different faiths. Some seven months ago, the girl's cousin Dibakar Saha returned to Tripura from Bangladesh after completing an MBBS course and began studying for India's exam to get a medical practice licence. Dr Saha had been eyeing his cousin initially, and both started having intimate chats on the internet, which the police have seized as evidence. Sariful knew Dr Saha through his girlfriend. However, the doctor had plans to kill Sariful for a long time. A few months ago, he made the first murder attempt when he called Sariful to a place which they frequented. He mixed sleeping pills in fruit juice and gave it to Sariful, who reached home before the effects of the pills kicked in. Sariful then fell ill for many days, but did not doubt Dr Saha. Dr Saha also had another girlfriend, Nabanita Das, a postgraduate who was preparing for a teaching job. On June 8, Dr Saha invited Sariful to the house of Joydeep Das, a relative of the doctor, to accept a gift. Dr Saha also brought his girlfriend Nabanita Das and a common friend, Animesh Yadav, who is a BPharma student. After Sariful reached Joydeb Das' house in Indranagar, he and Dr Das had an altercation over the 20-year-old woman. After that, Dr Saha strangulated him. With the help of the others and using his medical knowledge, he put the body in plastic wrappers and tied the limbs with ropes. Two days earlier, he had bought a huge trolley bag. He put the body inside the bag and took it to the house of Mousumi, a friend of Nabanita Das. They told Mousumi that it contained Nabanita's personal items. The police are however looking at Mousumi's role too. The three then left Indranagar on an Uber Auto, whose driver the police have questioned. On June 9 morning, the police received a missing person complaint from Sariful's parents, after which a search and investigation began. The same morning, Dr Saha's parents came from their hometown Gandacherra in Tripura's Dhalia district, 120 km from Agartala. They took the trolley with them and dumped it under an ice cream freezer at their grocery shop in Gandacherra and locked the place. Dr Saha's father alone returned to Agartala the same evening. He began contacting right wing groups to turn the matter into a Hindu-Muslim couple love affairs case, police sources told NDTV. Led by West Tripura Superintendent of Police (SP) Kiran Kumar, the police launched a massive hunt for Sariful. From his phone records, the police found he made the last call to Dr Saha. When the police summoned him, Dr Saha behaved as if Sariful was his close friend and he was worried about the missing man. He told the police that he invited Sariful to give him a gift. The police then put him under surveillance. The first clue was the motorcycle of Sariful, which was found parked near Joydeep Das' house. When he was questioned, he too tried to mislead the cops. Sariful's family then told police about his relationship with a 20-year-old girl, who is a Hindu. When the police spoke to her, she said she had doubts about his cousin Dr Saha. Police took her phone and found chats that became the clinching evidence. Despite this, Dr Saha did not admit to the crime and tried to mislead the investigation again. The police then turned their attention to Nabanita Das, Dr Saha's girlfriend. When the police told her about Dr Saha's relationship with his 20-year-old cousin sister, Nabanita Das broke down and told the whole matter, following which the police detained her. On the night of June 9, the police detained Dr Saha, Animesh and Joydeep, and also Dr Saha's father. On June 10, the police took Dr Saha's father to Gandacherra and in the presence of a magistrate recovered the trolley from the ice cream freezer. They found the body inside. The police detained Dr Saha's mother too. When all the accused were cross questioned, Dr Saha admitted to the crime, the police said. The police on June 11 did a crime scene reconstruction and in the late evening announced the case to the media. The Tripura Police cracked the case within 24 hours of receiving a missing person complaint. They plan to take 10-day custody of the accused.
