Operation Honeymoon: How SIT got whiff of Indore couple's marriage gone wrong
Guwahati/Shillong: The first clue in the jigsaw puzzle that led to solving the murder plot of Indore transporter Raja Raghuvanshi came when a SIT team found it strange that the newly married couple did not upload any pictures of their trip in Meghalaya on social media.
The police also examined 42 video footage and studied their behavioural pattern and movement. These clips eventually proved crucial as sleuths linked them to the crime scene after Raja's body was found and also examined witness testimonies on their movements after the murder.
Meghalaya Police on Tuesday disclosed that their operation to solve Raja Raghuvanshi's murder and apprehend the suspects was unofficially codenamed 'Operation Honeymoon'.
This specific codename was given because the newly married couple, who tied the knot on May 11, was on a honeymoon trip to the northeastern state, sources said.
Sonam Raghuvanshi, who allegedly plotted the killing of Raja Raghuvanshi in Meghalaya, will be produced before a Shillong court on Wednesday, police said.
Police said further suspicion arose when posts appeared on Raja's social media account at 2:15 am after his death, which investigators later learnt was a deliberate misdirection.
Sources indicate that surveillance footage revealed Sonam meeting the contract killers approximately 10 km from where the crime occurred.
Following the incident, she departed Shillong, taking an indirect route through Siliguri to Indore, briefly occupying rented accommodation, before travelling to Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh via Varanasi, assisted by a driver.
Crime scene evidence included Sonam's raincoat, which she provided to Akash Rajput, one of the assailants, and a matching jacket worn by another suspect.
Investigators also recovered a mobile screen from Raja's device. Significantly, when arrested, Anand Kurmi was wearing the same attire from the day of the incident.
The machete used in the crime was bought from near Guwahati railway station, providing additional evidence of the calculated crime, sources added.
Police confirmed that the machete does not resemble those traditionally used in Meghalaya.
After careful coordination between Shillong Police and Indore crime branch, five individuals were arrested, including Raja's spouse, Sonam, who was brought to Shillong late on Tuesday.
Police sources said 20 officers worked across various angles, piecing together the evidence. Within three to four days, they found Sonam's direct involvement in the crime.
Meghalaya Police officially initiated Operation Honeymoon on June 7, leading to multiple arrests across Madhya Pradesh by June 8. Sonam remained untraced from May 23 until she surrendered to police in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday night.
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