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How a guide helped solve Meghalaya honeymoon murder case: ‘3 men were walking with Raja Raghuvanshi, Sonam was…'

How a guide helped solve Meghalaya honeymoon murder case: ‘3 men were walking with Raja Raghuvanshi, Sonam was…'

Hindustan Times6 hours ago

The Meghalaya police on Monday alleged that the wife of an Indore man – who was murdered in the state during their honeymoon – had planned the killing. Days before the discovery, a tourist guide gave a vital clue to the police as he said he had spotted the victim, Raja Raghuvanshi, walking with three men and his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi.
According to the tour guide in Meghalaya, Albert Pde, the couple – Sonam and Raja Raghuvanshi – were accompanied by three male tourists on the day they went missing from Meghalaya's Sohra area on May 23. He made the revelations on Saturday, June 7.
Also read: Meghalaya police arrest 'missing' wife for Indore man's murder during honeymoon
Pde, who is a guide at Mawlakhiat, said that the three men accompanied the couple as they were climbing up over 3,000 steps from Nongriat to Mawlakhiat around 10 am on May 23.
He also informed PTI that the four men were talking to each other in Hindi
"The four men were walking ahead while the woman was behind. The four men were conversing in Hindi, but I could not understand what they were speaking as I know only Khasi and English," he told PTI.
Further, Pde also said that he offered to guide the couple to Nongriat on May 22, a day before they went missing. However, the couple declined his service and went with another guide named Bha Wansai. They spent the night at Shipara homestay and returned the next day without a guide, Pde said.
Also read: Wife, 3 hired assassins held for newlywed Indore man's murder in Meghalaya
The scooter rented by the couple was later found several kilometres away from Mawlakhiat at Sohrarim with the keys still latched to it.
According to the Meghalaya police, three arrested men are believed to have been hired to kill Raja Raghuvanshi, allegedly by his wife Sonam, who has also been arrested after surrendering at the Nandganj police station in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur.
"One accused from Uttar Pradesh and two more persons were held from Indore by Meghalaya Police SIT. The arrested accused have named some more persons. They revealed that the victim's wife had hired them," Meghalaya Director General of Police I Nongrang, told PTI.
Also read: What police said on Meghalaya honeymoon murder: 'Wife Sonam Raghuvanshi hired men'
Sharing the major update, Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma said: "Within 7 days a breakthrough has been achieved by the #meghalayapolice in the Raja murder case … 3 assailants who are from Madhya Pradesh have been arrested, a female has surrendered and operation still on to catch 1 more assailant .. well done #meghalayapolice.'
The couple had gone missing last month on May 23 while on their honeymoon. However, the husband's body was found in a gorge in Meghalaya on June 2.

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Eleven days after they disappeared, a police drone located Raja's decomposed body at the bottom of a gorge near Wei Sawdong Falls. Police then launched a major search operation , with more than 50 to 60 people looking for Sonam, who was still missing. 'Sonam came crying, asked for phone' The search for Sonam came to an unexpected end — not in the forests of Meghalaya, but over 1,000 kilometres away in Uttar Pradesh. She was found near a roadside dhaba in Nandganj, around 40 km from Varanasi. According to the dhaba owner, Sahil Yadav, Sonam looked distraught and asked to use his mobile phone to call home. 'It is a matter of around 1 am last night, when she came to the shop and was crying. She said that she had to call home. I gave her my mobile phone and she dialled. I asked her to sit there,' Sahil told the media, pointing to a chair nearby. #WATCH | Sahil Yadav, owner of Kashi Dhaba, where UP Police found Sonam Raghuvanshi late last night, says "Sonam came here around 1 AM. 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I haven't spoken to my daughter yet,' he told PTI. 'The police are lying,' he claimed. 'Why would my daughter do something like this? If she intended to do something like this, why would she go out travelling?" STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD #WATCH | Indore missing couple case | Sonam Raghuvanshi's father, Devi Singh, says, "...My daughter is innocent. I have trust in my daughter. She cannot do this (kill her husband)... They got married with the consent of both families. The state (Meghalaya) Government has been… — ANI (@ANI) June 9, 2025 He alleged that Sonam was abducted and remains under threat. 'The Meghalaya Police have cooked up this story midway. My daughter is innocent,' he said, urging Union Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene. Neighbours in Indore were equally stunned as news of Sonam's arrest spread. 'I can't believe it, she was a well-behaved and educated girl,' one neighbour told ANI. 'The girl may be involved, but we can't claim anything. She was a nice, simple girl. We don't think she would have done it.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD VIDEO | Indore couple case: Here is what Sonam Raghuvanshi's neighbor says: 'I can't believe it, she was a well behaved and educated girl. I don't know if she did it or not. The girl may be involved, but we can't claim anything. She was a nice, simple girl. We don't think she… — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 9, 2025 As the investigation continues, more details of the alleged plot — and what really happened on that remote trail in Meghalaya — are likely to emerge. With input from agencies

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