‘Sonam bewafa hai' is back, this time in a real-life murder case
The phrase "Sonam bewafa hai" is making headlines again, but this time it's not a meme. Meet Sonam Raghuvanshi, who allegedly conspired with her lover to murder her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi. From a viral ₹10 note in 2016 to a real-life chilling saga in 2025, this story is equal parts shocking and tragic.
#SonamBewafaHai #SonamRaghuvanshi #Indore #Meghalaya #IndiaNews
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Time of India
15 hours ago
- Time of India
When women kill: Inside the minds of India's killer brides - love, rage and murder
This is a representational AI image They were brides, girlfriends, influencers, wives — now, they are accused killers. Sonam. Muskan. Shivani. Ravina. Radhika. A string of young women from small-town India who, until recently, were navigating their own quiet corners of life. Today, they are front-page headlines and viral hashtags, painted in dual strokes — as women and as alleged husband-killers. Their names have become shorthand for both fascination and fury. They've forced a reckoning, one uncomfortable and controversial: what does it mean when a woman kills? These cases, each gruesome in its own way, have lit up national media and exploded across social platforms — often not with empathy or nuance, but with mockery, memes, and a healthy dose of misogyny. 'Sonam Bewafa Hai' memes made a grim comeback. Instagram reels made villains of wives and martyrs of husbands. But behind the noise is a deeper truth, experts say — a story of gender, power, suppression, and a society in denial. Breaking the mold — with blood Let's start with Sonam Raghuvanshi — now a household name. The Indore woman allegedly plotted her husband Raja's murder during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, in cahoots with her ex-boyfriend and three hired assassins. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Unlock The Benefits of Membrane Bioreactors with Solutions in Luxembourg (See The List) Membrane Bioreactor | Search Ads Undo Raja's body was discovered in a gorge. Before that came Muskan Rastogi of Meerut, who allegedly killed her husband with the help of her lover, hid the body in a cement-filled drum, and tried to disappear. Shivani from Bijnor faked a heart attack as her husband's cause of death, only for police to find ligature marks. YouTuber Ravina, too, allegedly conspired to kill her husband over his disapproval of her online persona. And Radhika, barely weeks into marriage, reportedly killed her husband in Sangli. All of them — except Ravina, who is 32 — are women in their 20s. Doubly deviant, doubly punished "Women aren't expected to do this. When they do, society doesn't just see a criminal — it sees a woman who's 'failed' at being a woman," says Professor G S Bajpai, vice chancellor at National Law University, Delhi. He references British criminologist Frances Heidensohn's 'double deviance' theory: a woman criminal not only breaks the law, but breaks gender norms. And that makes society recoil harder. "She is doubly deviant and hence must be doubly punished," Bajpai explains to PTI. Unlike men, who are often painted as impulsive or power-driven, women who kill are branded unnatural, even monstrous. They're dissected under a harsher spotlight — their outfits, lovers, social media habits, even smiles are scrutinised. Not just the act — but the reaction India recorded over 4.45 lakh crimes against women in 2022, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. But crimes by women? There's no standalone category, mainly because they're statistically rare. Yet rare doesn't mean irrelevant. 'Crimes committed by women make a disproportionate impact precisely because they upset our cultural expectations,' says Deepti Puranik, a criminal psychologist. 'We've taught women to suppress, sacrifice, and stay silent. But pressure creates cracks. Sometimes, it erupts.' She believes early marriage, emotional immaturity, lack of agency, and forced relationships can all brew a psychological storm. Activist Yogita Bhayana agrees: 'It became easier for Sonam to plan a murder than to admit she loved someone else. That says a lot more about our society than about her alone.' Are these crimes of power — or powerlessness? Here lies the paradox: are these women demonstrating a twisted form of empowerment — or are these acts born of deep disempowerment? For Bajpai, the answer is layered. 'Men often kill for power. Women's motivations are frequently rooted in victimisation, manipulation, or emotional trauma. When a caregiver turns killer, the world doesn't know how to compute it.' He adds, 'Let's not forget — intimate partner violence largely moves in the opposite direction. Husbands killing wives is far more common. But those cases don't dominate headlines in the same way.' Data backs him. Globally and in India, over half of all female homicides are committed by current or former partners. Criminal, yes — but still a woman The portrayal of these accused women has followed a familiar pattern: the "wife with a lover", the "influencer who went too far", the "manipulative seductress". It's not just lazy — it's dangerous. Kulpreet Yadav, co-author of Queens of Crime, points out that policing, criminology, and media coverage have always been male-focused. 'We don't truly understand how women with criminal intent think. And that gap leads to oversimplified narratives.' So, should justice be gender-neutral? Bajpai disagrees. 'A blind, one-size-fits-all approach will fail. Context matters. Gender, power dynamics, emotional and social triggers — all of it must be weighed to arrive at fair justice.' The women behind the headlines Beneath the lurid details, under the trending hashtags, there are still human stories — shaped by broken relationships, desperation, suppressed rage, or maybe something darker. No one is defending murder. But understanding it? That's a societal responsibility. These women didn't just defy the law. They defied expectations. And that's what makes their crimes not just shocking — but revelatory.
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Time of India
Raja Raghuvanshi murder: Meghalaya makes tourist registration mandatory at all homestays
Following the sensational murder of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, the Meghalaya government has directed all homestays, resorts and families to mandatorily record details of tourists that stay there. A senior official of the Meghalaya Tourism Department said that the state government has directed all the homestays, resorts and even landlords to compulsorily register all their visitors and take their necessary details."The government would ensure that all homestays and accommodation units now obligatorily register tourists, visitors and guests through the tourism app.' The Meghalaya government on June 13 decided to strengthen existing laws to ensure the safety of state residents and curb the entry of criminal elements posing as tourists. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Stunning 2-Bed Senior Houses: Take A Peek Inside! Senior Houses | Search Ads Meghalaya Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh had said that the council of ministers in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on June 13 decided to review the Meghalaya Resident Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), 2016, an existing state legislation, to add tougher provisions to the Act to minimise the possibility of criminal elements entering Meghalaya as tourists. The government's move comes weeks after the ghastly murder of Raja Raghuvanshi (28), who was brutally killed during his honeymoon while on a trip to Sohra-Cherrapunji areas of the East Khasi Hills district, in a plot allegedly orchestrated by his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi (24) and her alleged lover Raj Singh Kushwaha (21). Live Events Pressure groups in Meghalaya had intensified demand for the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) to keep tabs of people entering the state. Members of the Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations (CoMSO) had staged a protest outside the Main Secretariat recently seeking implementation of ILP recently. CoMSO leader Donboklang Kharlyngdoh had said that the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly had passed a resolution in 2019 urging the Centre to implement the ILP, yet no response has been received even after nearly six years. The organisations stated, 'If ILP were in place, individuals with dubious intentions would think twice before entering Meghalaya. They would have to register their name, address, duration of stay, and departure plans. The main accused, Sonam, had entered the state with her husband and exited the state alone'.
The Hindu
16 hours ago
- The Hindu
Raja Raghuvanshi murder: Meghalaya cops visit accused Sonam's maternal home, question her kin
A team of Meghalaya police probing the murder of Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi on Wednesday (June 18, 2025) visited the maternal house of Sonam Raghuvanshi, the victim's wife and prime accused in the case, and questioned her family members. The investigation team arrived at Sonam's maternal house in Govind Nagar Kharcha area of the city. After the police personnel entered the house, its door was shut from inside so that nobody else gained access, eyewitnesses said. Also Read | Meghalaya honeymoon murder: Wife confesses to involvement in conspiracy, says police The Meghalaya police team was at Sonam's house for around two hours, they said. Immediately after the police team left the place, her brother Govind boarded a car and left the spot. Talking to reporters without providing any details, Govind said the Meghalaya police made "general inquiries" from him and his family members about Sonam's behaviour. On the reports of Sonam having long conversations with someone named Sanjay Verma on the phone before the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, Govind said he had no information about this. Raja Raghuvanshi's family has demanded that all the members of Sonam's family should undergo narco test to bring out the complete truth of the murder. On this demand, Govind said he has "not committed any sin", but he is ready to undergo all kinds of investigation if anyone has doubts. The Meghalaya police visited Raja Raghuvanshi's house in Sahakar Nagar on Tuesday night and recorded the statements of his family members. Raja's elder brother Vipin Raghuvanshi said, "A three-member team of the Meghalaya police was at our house for about half an hour. They asked us questions about Sonam's behaviour. We were also asked how many days Sonam stayed at our house after marriage?" Raja's wife Sonam, her alleged lover Raj Kushwah (20) and three of Kushwah's friends - Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi - have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi, during his honeymoon trip to Meghalaya. Raghuvanshi went missing on May 23 and his mutilated body was found on June 2 in a deep gorge near a waterfall in Sohra area (also known as Cherrapunji) of East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. Sonam surrendered before the police in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur district late on June 8, while four accused, including Kushwah, were arrested from different areas of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Raja Raghuvanshi's family is involved in the transport business. He married Sonam on May 11 in Indore and they left for Meghalaya for their honeymoon on May 20. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Meghalaya Police is probing the murder case in detail.
