Newlywed wife of man killed on honeymoon top suspect in India murder case
Police in India say a woman who went missing after her husband was murdered during their honeymoon is in custody after turning herself in.
According to the BBC, relatives of the couple believed the wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, 25, was dead or had been abducted and launched a large-scale campaign to locate her after she and her husband disappeared while on their honeymoon.
Now, police allege that she hired hitmen to kill her husband, Raja, 30, during a vacation to Meghalaya, a small state in northeastern India.
Four men have also been arrested in connection with the crime.
On Monday, Devi Singh, Sonam's father, maintained his daughter's innocence, telling reporters in India, 'She cannot do this,' adding that he believes police are lying about what occurred and that they played a role in the murder case that has gripped India.
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Before Sonam's arrest, Raja's brother Sachin Raghuvanshi told the BBC that the newly married couple chose to travel to Meghalaya for their honeymoon because they had heard it had 'very beautiful valleys.'
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A living roots bridge over a river in a deep forest surrounded by flora on a dull, overcast day in Khasi hills near the village of Riwai, Shillong, Meghalaya, India. Getty Images
The pair, from Indore city, were married on May 11, both families having approved their union.
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'Their marriage was arranged four months back and they were both happy and there had been no fights between the couple before or after marriage,' Raja's other brother, Vipin Raghuvanshi, told the BBC.
The newlyweds set off on their honeymoon on May 20 but went missing four days later, prompting a widespread rescue mission through wild terrain.
After a week of searching, Raja's body was discovered in a gorge. His throat had been slit and his wallet as well as a gold ring and chain were missing. Meanwhile, Sonam was nowhere to be found.
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Their families launched a joint campaign against the Meghalaya police, accusing the authorities of not doing enough to locate Sonam or uncover the circumstances surrounding Raja's death, and demanded that the case be handed over to federal investigators.
They also penned a letter to India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, asking him to help bring justice for the couple, the BBC reported.
On Monday morning, the director general of Meghalaya police, Idashisha Nongrang, said Sonam had turned herself in to state authorities.
Three additional suspects, who are also from the couple's home state of Madhya Pradesh, have been arrested.
'One person was picked up from Uttar Pradesh, and another two accused were apprehended from Indore. Sonam surrendered at the Nandganj police station and was subsequently arrested,' Nongrang said.
At a press conference shortly after, police Supt. Vivek Syiem confirmed that a fourth male suspect had been arrested in Meghalaya in connection with the case, but said that Sonam was 'the main suspect.'
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When asked if police suspected that Sonam was engaged in a relationship with one of the four male suspects, Syiem said, 'If you join the dots, then it would seem like it,' adding that the details were still being verified.
According to Sonam's father, she called her brother from a rest stop on Sunday night on a borrowed cellphone. He told the ANI News Agency that her brother then called the police, adding that he had not had any contact with his daughter.
Meanwhile, Raja's brother, Vipin Raghuvanshi, told reporters he would 'not accept Sonam's involvement in the murder until she confessed.'
But he later said that one of the arrested male suspects named by the police worked in Sonam's office.
'Only Sonam can clarify,' he said. 'If she's guilty, she should be punished.'
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