Big twist in Meghalaya murder case: Raj Kushwaha a pawn in Sonam Raghuvanshi's 'bigger plan'? Cops suspect she was planning to elope with someone else
NEW DELHI: Contrary to earlier speculations that Raj was the main conspirator, sources now suggest he might have been used as a pawn in a bigger plan.
They suspect Sonam was planning to elope with someone else, and Raj, unaware of the larger game, ended up facilitating her escape.
Investigators probing the murder of Indore transporter Raja Raghuvanshi during his honeymoon in Meghalaya now believe Sonam Raghuvanshi — the victim's wife — may have orchestrated the entire plot.
Senior police officials monitoring the interrogation of all accused said Sonam appears to have manipulated each of them, luring Raj with promises of love and possibly offering others financial incentives.
'Sonam appears to have manipulated each one of them, luring Raj through promises of love and possibly enticing others with financial gains,' a senior officer said.
Crime branch officials believe Sonam had planned her disappearance in advance. She had allegedly arranged for a flat in Indore where she intended to stay after the murder.
She selected the location herself, made the payments, and ensured the hideout remained a secret — even from her co-accused.
Interestingly, no one apart from Sonam seems to know the address of this flat. Even those involved in the case are believed to have been kept in the dark.
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Officials now suspect Sonam remained in Indore for most of the time while her family staged protests and police teams searched for her across states.
When she realised the plan was beginning to unravel, she allegedly asked Raj to book her a cab and fled to Uttar Pradesh — where she was eventually traced on June 8.
'Raj made payments to cab driver who dropped Sonam in UP on June 6,' an officer said.
Indore crime branch officials confirmed they still do not have the exact location of the flat where Sonam stayed while on the run.
Switched off phone's, destroyed sim cards
Sonam briefly switched on her mobile phone near a highway dhaba in Ghazipur on June 9, exposing her location, a UP police officer said.
Though the phone was quickly switched off, surveillance cells had already begun tracking her coordinates.
"Sonam avoided her own phone after Raja's murder, using borrowed devices to contact Raj Kushwaha and others," the officer said.
"Before calling her brother from the dhaba owner's phone, she turned on her phone — likely to note a relative's number.
This triggered an SOS from Meghalaya and MP police, who alerted us."
The alert helped local teams zero in on the dhaba, leading to her eventual detention.
Investigators said Sonam had purchased three phones in Indore — a basic keypad handset and two Android models — using identity documents of co-accused Anand Kurmi.
"Raj helped arrange the purchase," the officer said.
Police verified the purchases through logbook entries at an Indore mobile shop, which matched details in their records.
All three phones and their SIM cards were allegedly destroyed in Meghalaya, in what police believe was a deliberate attempt to wipe out digital footprints and evade detection.
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Hindustan Times
11 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
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Time of India
17 minutes ago
- Time of India
Sonam Raghuvanshi says she was forced into marriage; cops reveal Raja Raghuvanshi was killed in fourth attempt
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