Meghalaya honeymoon horror mirrors Bengaluru's 2003 techie murder. Here's why it feels familiar
A young man's brutal murder during his honeymoon in Meghalaya has shocked the country, not just for its gruesome details, but also for how strikingly it mirrors one of Bengaluru's most chilling crimes from over two decades ago.
Raja Raghuvanshi, who had recently tied the knot, was allegedly killed by his wife, Sonam, during what was supposed to be a celebratory trip to the Northeast.
Days after his decomposing body was recovered from a gorge near a waterfall in Meghalaya's Sohra region, Sonam surrendered to the police in Uttar Pradesh. Investigators say the murder was premeditated and possibly carried out with the help of hired killers, a plot similar to Bengaluru's infamous 2003 'Ring Road Murder' case.
(Also Read: Meghalaya murder: Who is Jitendra Raghuvanshi? New twist in Raja Raghuvanshi case unfolds)
According to a report by NDTV, in 2003, Bengaluru was rocked by the murder of BV Girish, a 27-year-old software engineer engaged to law student Shubha Shankaranarayan. Girish was attacked near the HAL airport just three days after their engagement, after Shubha convinced him to take her to watch planes land and take off.
Though she initially played the part of a grieving fiancée, Shubha's inconsistencies and call records eventually unraveled the truth, she was in a relationship with her college junior, Arun Verma, and had plotted Girish's murder with his help.
It was one of the earliest Indian criminal cases to rely heavily on mobile location and call data as key evidence, the report further added. Both Shubha and Arun were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, along with two accomplices.
Raja and Sonam had travelled there for their honeymoon but went missing soon after. A massive search operation led to the discovery of Raja's body, and suspicion quickly turned towards Sonam.
Police claim they were already tracking her involvement when she surrendered in Uttar Pradesh. According to investigators, Sonam is believed to have orchestrated the murder with the help of contract killers.
While the motive is still being investigated, reports suggest she may have had an affair with a man named Raj Kushwaha, who has also been arrested along with other suspected conspirators.
(With agency inputs)
(Also Read: Why Sonam Raghuvanshi left her 'mangalsutra' at Meghalaya homestay before Raja Raghuvanshi's murder)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Who were the passengers on board the Air India flight that crashed in Ahmedabad?
A London-bound Air India flight crashed 33 seconds after take-off from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday, killing 229 passengers and 12 crew members on board. One Indian origin British national, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, miraculously survived the accident and remains in hospital. The aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating as AI 171, rammed into the doctors' hostel of BJ Medical College in the city's Meghani Nagar area at 1:39 pm, reducing the building to rubble and sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky. Among the deceased was former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani. The victims also included a couple from Agra heading for a UK holiday, two siblings on a summer trip, and a family of five who were taking selfies moments before disaster struck. Two young British nationals, who had just wrapped up a 'magical' India tour, also perished in the crash. The crash has claimed lives across nationalities. In a statement, Air India confirmed the aircraft was carrying 169 Indian passengers, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. The sole survivor was identified as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin seated in 11A. In the aftermath, the Tata Group, which owns Air India, announced a compensation of ₹1 crore to the families of each person who lost their lives in the crash. Investigation teams from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) have been deployed to determine the cause of the accident. The black box has been recovered and preliminary findings are awaited.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
70-year-old Mohali woman duped of ₹1 crore in ‘digital arrest' fraud
In yet another case of 'digital arrest' fraud targeting a senior citizen, a 70-year-old retired government official lost ₹1.03 crore after falling prey to cyber criminals who kept her under 'arrest' for three days. A resident of Phase 6, Mohali, the victim received a phone call from an unknown person, claiming that her KYC number had been linked to a money laundering case. The caller told her that she would be placed under 'digital arrest' and monitored continuously. The fraudsters, posing as police personnel, instructed her not to speak with anyone and remain connected over video call. To avoid legal trouble, the woman said, she was told to settle the matter by transferring money. Out of fear, she followed the instructions and sent money in multiple instalments through RTGS. Over three days, she ended up transferring a total of ₹1.03 crore into various bank accounts, as directed by the scammers. The victim said she remained under constant contact with the fraudsters during this period. After the calls ended, she realised she had been cheated and reported the matter to the cyber cell. Following her complaint, a case under Sections 308(2), 318(4), 127(7), 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66 of the Information Technology Act was registered at the Cyber Crime police station. Police have launched an investigation into the case, and are trying to trace the bank accounts used for transfers and the origin of the calls. Police have advised residents to remain cautious and not transfer money based on threats or unverified legal claims made over phone calls. DSP Rupinder Kaur Sohi said, 'Residents must not fall prey to such traps. If anyone threatens you with 'digital arrest', consider it a fraud, as no such concept exists in the Indian legal system. Further, contact your local police station and report it.'
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Raj mastermind, Raja's killers planned to murder a woman and pass her body as that of Sonam: Police
Shillong, The killers of Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi had a plan to murder any woman and burn her body to pass it as that of his wife Sonam so that she would be able to be in hiding for a few more days till the truth is known, a Meghalaya police officer said. The police also found out that Raj Kushwaha, a suspected boyfriend of Sonam, was the mastermind in the murder plot, and she is the co-conspirator. On the first day of interrogation of Sonam, Raj and three others, who were arrested in connection with the killing of the Raja Raghuvanshi, also revealed that she fled from Meghalaya in a burqa and reached the Madhya Pradesh city using various modes of transport like taxi, bus and train. "The conspiracy to eliminate Raja was hatched in Indore, shortly before his wedding with Sonam on May 11, and the mastermind is Raj while the woman had agreed to the plot," East Khasi Hills district Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem told PTI. A few days after the wedding, Raja and Sonam had come to picturesque Sohra in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district and went missing on May 23. His body was found in a gorge near Weisawdong Falls on June 2, while a search continued for Sonam. She emerged in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, around 1,200 km away, in the early hours of June 9 and surrendered. The police had also arrested her alleged boyfriend, Raj Kushwaha and three others – Vishal, Akash and Anand - who, till now, were suspected to have been contract killers. 'The three young people were friends, and one of them is a cousin of Raj. It was not a typical contract killing. Yes, the plan was to kill and they did it as a favour to their friend Raj,' Syiem said. Raj had given them ₹50,000 for the expenditures, he said. The planning started in February in Indore and they had thought of ways about how Sonam would disappear after the killing of Raja. 'One plan was to make people believe that she would wash away by a river. Another plan was to murder any woman, burn the body and claim that it was of Sonam. However, none of the plans fructify,' the police officer said. The group had come a few days before the newly-wed couple reached Assam on May 19 and they had initially planned to eliminate Raja somewhere in Guwahati. As that did not work for some reason, Sonam planned to go to Shillong and Sohra, and according to understanding, all met at Nongriat, the officer said. Syiem said they started together for Weisawdong Falls, and there all three hit Raja with a machete they bought in Assam and killed him in front of Sonam between 2 pm and 2.18 pm on May 23 before throwing the body in a gorge. Sonam gave Akash the raincoat she was wearing as his shirt had a blood spot. They left Weisawdong on scooters, and Akash threw the raincoat later as it too had blood stains. They also abandoned the two-wheeler hired by Sonam and Raja at a place, the SP said. The police recovered the raincoat and the two-wheeler when Sonam was thought to have been missing. 'Raj had given Vishal a burqa which he has handed over to Sonam. She wore it, went to the Police Bazaar and took a taxi to Guwahati. From Guwahati, she reached Siliguri on a bus. From there, she took buses to go to Patna and Arah and boarded a train for Lucknow. From Lucknow, Sonam took a bus and reached Indore,' he said. In the meantime, Meghalaya media interviewed a tour guide who said he had seen Sonam and Raja with three people. Raj told Sonam to leave Indore and emerge somewhere in Siliguri and claim herself as a victim of abduction. But on June 8, when Sonam had left Indore, two police teams from Meghalaya reached UP and Madhya Pradesh in civil dress. 'When the first arrest was made in UP, Raj panicked and told Sonam to call up her family and tell them she just escaped from an abduction gang. That's how this whole thing came to light in Ghazipur,' Syiem said. They had thought that Raja's body would not be discovered as it was remote and the police enquiry would take one to two months. So she thought of playing the victim card. 'We are recording their statements. We are questioning them. We will gather more evidence and reconstruct the crime scene,' Syiem said. The officer said the police are confident to file a charge sheet in the case within the mandatory 90 days. All five were remanded to eight days of police custody on Wednesday.
