Indore bride who went missing fromMeghalaya trip detained in Ghazipur
Varanasi/Lucknow: Sonam Raghuvanshi (24) the newlywed who went missing on May 23 from her honeymoon trip to Meghalaya after her husband Raja Raghuvanshi (28) was allegedly killed, was taken into custody by the Uttar Pradesh Police from a highway dhaba in Ghazipur.
Sonam and her husband - Indore-based Raja Raghuvanshi (28) - were on a honeymoon trip to Meghalaya from where they disappeared. Later, Raja's body was discovered in a gorge beneath the Weisawdong Falls parking lot in East Khasi Hills on June 2.
A machete and mobile phone were found nearby. A blood-stained raincoat was recovered a few kilometres away. While Meghalaya Police claim that Sonam got her husband killed by three men, during her conversation with Ghazipur cops she kept claiming that Raja was killed by a group of miscreants near Weisawdong Falls during a robbery bid.
UP Police is learnt to have picked up an associate of Sonam from Lalitpur on the inputs given by Indore police. Two others have been arrested from Indore.
As per UP police, Sonam was located around 2 am on Monday after she phoned her family from a dhaba on Varanasi-Ghazipur highway, informing them of her location under Nandganj police station of Ghazipur -- Almost 16 days and about 1162 km from Shillong, her last disclosed location.
Her family alerted Indore Police, which coordinated with Uttar Pradesh authorities. Ghazipur Police took her for medical examination before sending her to a One-Stop Center.
"She will be handed over to a team of Meghalaya Police, which is leading the investigation. UP Police have not interrogated her," said Additional DG (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash.
Police said Sonam has not revealed where she had been hiding all these days and only claimed to be "unwell."
The police have since recorded statements from Sahil Yadav, the eatery owner where Sonam reached and a woman who attempted to comfort Sonam. "She was extremely scared and barely able to speak," the woman told police.
Officials believe Sonam may have been fleeing or hiding after orchestrating her husband's killing during their honeymoon in Meghalaya.
A senior officer said that a team of Shillong police will soon arrive and take a transit remand of Sonam to their place for further questioning.
The identity of the youth picked up by Lalitpur police has been identified as Akash Rajput (21).
According to police, he was previously acquainted with co-accused Vishal Singh and Raj Kushwaha, (the two arrested from Indore) and had travelled with them to Shillong separately while the couple (Raja and Sonam) were on honeymoon.
Akash, who holds a BBA degree from Indore, is currently being questioned about his role and motive.
"He has no criminal record as of now in UP and was picked up on the information of Indore police," the officer added. The medical was completed and he will also be handed over to Shillong police after a transit remand.
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