First photo of Raj Kushwaha, alleged lover of Sonam Raghuvanshi, emerges
In the ongoing investigation into the alleged murder of
Raja Raghuvanshi
during his honeymoon in Meghalaya, the first images of Raj Kushwaha—suspected of being involved in the case—have surfaced. Meghalaya Police have accused
Sonam Raghuvanshi
, Raja's wife, of planning the murder and hiring contract killers, with
Raj Kushwaha
's name now coming under scrutiny.
Raj Kushwaha's photo surfaces amid murder plot probe
Photos of Raj Kushwaha, a man identified as Sonam Raghuvanshi's former employee, have now been made public. His name was earlier mentioned by Raja's brother, Vipul Raghuvanshi, who alleged that Sonam used to frequently talk to him. Investigators are now focusing on establishing Raj Kushwaha's role in the days leading up to Raja's death in the Sohra area of Meghalaya.
Raja's brother links Sonam and Raj Kushwaha
Vipul Raghuvanshi had earlier told ANI that Raj Kushwaha was often in touch with Sonam over the phone. 'I had no idea about those 3–4 people till the time I did not know their names... Raj Kushwaha's name has come forward, which means Sonam can be involved in the murder... Raj Kushwaha was Sonam's employee. They would constantly talk on the phone,' he said.
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Vipul also added that he was unaware of how the couple planned their Meghalaya trip. 'They were only supposed to go to Assam to offer prayers at Maa Kamakhya Temple. After that, they said they were heading to Shillong. We don't know who out of the two planned their visit to Meghalaya. They did not book any return tickets,' he said.
Sonam's family maintains innocence, alleges police framing
Sonam's father, Devi Singh, has claimed that Meghalaya Police are trying to frame his daughter and demanded a CBI probe. 'Meghalaya Police are lying. They did not do any inquiry. I am 100% sure that Meghalaya Police is involved in the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi... Meghalaya Police is trying to trap Sonam in this case,' he said.
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Police continue to investigate Sonam's movements
Sonam Raghuvanshi was recently located at a dhaba in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh. According to ADG Law and Order Amitabh Yash, 'Sonam Raghuvanshi called her family members at around 3 AM and informed them that she was present at the Kashi Dhaba on Varanasi-Ghazipur main road... Sonam Raghuvanshi will be handed over to Meghalaya Police as soon as they reach Ghazipur.'
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NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Same Murder, Different Routes: How Sonam, Killers Escaped From Meghalaya
The murder occurred on May 23, the body was found on June 2, and the whereabouts of the wife were unknown. There was speculation that the woman, who had come with her husband for her honeymoon, may have also been attacked or kidnapped. Little did the police know in the hours after the murder, however, that not only was Sonam Raghuvanshi safe, she was the one who had not only allegedly plotted her husband's murder, but had watched it happen and then helped roll the body into a gorge. After Sonam surfaced in Uttar Pradesh on Monday, the Meghalaya Police have also been able to piece together how she escaped after the murder, shedding more light on the planning behind the crime. Sonam Raghuvanshi, 24, married Raja Raghuvanshi, 29, in Madhya Pradesh's Indore on May 11. She then planned a Meghalaya trip for their honeymoon and the couple reached Shillong on May 22. They then went to the Sohra area - which is also known as Cherrapunji - in the East Khasi Hills district. Raja and his family were unaware, however, that Sonam was in love with an employee of her family-run business, Raj Kushwaha, 21. Kushwaha had allegedly hired three of his friends to murder Raja and Sonam had promised to pay them Rs 20 lakh. On May 23, Sonam and Raja went trekking, aiming to get to the top of a steep peak in Mawlakhiat to see a waterfall. They were being trailed by the killers and, when they reached a deserted spot, Sonam allegedly asked them to kill Raja. Sources said Sonam also then helped throw the body of her husband, whom she had married less than two weeks ago, into the gorge. The Escape East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police (SP) Vivek Syiem said on Tuesday that, after the murder, Sonam took a taxi from Mawlakhiat to Shillong, then travelled to Guwahati in a tourist taxi. From Guwahati, she boarded a train. "According to her, she went to Indore. But that is yet to be confirmed from the other accused," she said. The three killers, Kushwaha's friends, fled from Sohra to Guwahati by taxi and then boarded a train to Indore. "Their coordinated but separate movement indicates that the logistics of the escape after the murder was also planned," a source from the Meghalaya Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up to probe the case said. Planning Mr Syiem said the SIT managed to gather enough evidence to arrest Sonam within seven days of the body being found. Sonam's phone has not been found yet but the police, the SP said, have established that she was in touch with Raj Kushwaha on the day of the killing and he was communicating with the three killers. The police are yet to figure out, however, whether she had been to Meghalaya before and had chosen the exact location for the murder. "She may have just Googled which are the isolated places... there is a lot of forest out there... and probably just found an opportune moment to commit the crime. It could have happened anywhere. We can't say because she has said that she has never been to Shillong... But the fact of the matter is yes they were planning to kill him. But which spot, whether they were sure or they were not sure, that is yet to be confirmed," Mr Syiem said. Sonam is expected to arrive in Shillong around midnight on Tuesday and Kushwaha and the three killers on Wednesday morning. "We will be producing them in court tomorrow. And thereafter we will be taking police remand for the investigation. After they come here, we will take a call on when we will do the reconstruction of the crime scene," he said. Giving more details of the murder, Mr Syiem added, "You see, they came up together. In fact, they met in a scenic spot and then they walked up. Their scooters were there. According to the assailants, it was Sonam who took them to Wei Sawdong (the waterfall). And that's where the crime took place."
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Raja Raghuvanshi's final trip: Inside the bloody path taken by Sonal Raghuvanshi which led to the Meghalaya honeymoon murder
A honeymoon trip to Meghalaya turned fatal for 30-year-old Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi. On 2 June, his decomposed body was recovered from a gorge near the picturesque Weisawdong Falls in East Khasi Hills. He had been missing since 23 May, just days after arriving with his wife Sonam for what was meant to be a holiday. An autopsy confirmed sharp-force injuries to his head. It was no accident. What followed was a police operation that crossed state lines, uncovered a murder conspiracy, and exposed a chilling betrayal. Five in custody, motive under scrutiny Police have arrested all five individuals linked to the crime. They include Raja's wife Sonam Raghuvanshi (25), her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha (21), and three men accused of executing the murder: Vishal Singh Chauhan (22), Anand Kurmi (23), and Akash Rajput (19). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Costco Shoppers Say This Wrinkle Cream Is "Actually Worth It" The Skincare Magazine Undo ACP Poonam Chand Yadav, speaking to India Today TV, confirmed, 'All four accused have confessed to killing Raja Raghuvanshi. The first blow was struck by Vishal alias Vicky Thakur.' Yadav added that Sonam was present at the scene and 'watched her husband die.' The men then allegedly threw Raja's body into a deep gorge. Live Events A murder months in the making Raja and Sonam were married on 10 May in Indore. Less than two weeks later, they travelled to Shillong. On 21 May, they hired a scooter to explore the nearby Sohra region. By the next day, they had vanished. Unbeknownst to Raja, a plan was allegedly already in motion. Vishal, Akash, and Anand took a multi-train route from Indore to Meghalaya, via Guwahati and Shillong. The murder weapon, police say, was purchased near Guwahati railway station. Raj Kushwaha, according to police, stayed back in Indore but helped fund the journey, giving each man ₹40,000 to ₹50,000. Sonam was in regular phone contact with Raj throughout the trip. Operation Honeymoon: The police trail eghalaya Police launched 'Operation Honeymoon' on 7 June after Sonam went missing following Raja's death. CCTV footage showed her meeting the alleged killers just 10 km from the crime scene. She then left Shillong for Indore via Siliguri on 25 May. In Indore, police say she met Raj and stayed with him in a rented house before heading to Uttar Pradesh. On 9 June, local police in Ghazipur found her at a roadside dhaba. She surrendered. Sonam's father has claimed she is being falsely framed and called for a CBI probe. But police cite several pieces of evidence—blood-stained clothing, a broken mobile screen, and a post-murder message from Raja's account reading 'Saat janmon ka saath' (Together for seven lifetimes)—that pointed to her. Despite the confessions, the accused's families maintain their children are innocent. Raj Kushwaha's mother, Chunni Devi, told PTI, 'My son is innocent. He has been framed. How can a 20-year-old boy commit such a big crime? He is the only breadwinner after my husband passed away.' She added, 'He was crying inconsolably when he returned home. I tried to calm him down, saying everything will be fine and there is no use crying.' Raj's sister, Suhani, rejected the allegation of a romantic link with Sonam, stating, 'My brother and Sonam only shared the employee-employer relationship. He addresses Sonam as 'didi', while she calls him 'bhaiya'.' Sonam's father has also accused the Meghalaya Police of 'spinning stories' and has demanded a central investigation. The trail of clues Police uncovered several physical clues at the crime scene. Among them: a blood-stained raincoat belonging to Sonam, which she allegedly handed over to Akash. Akash later discarded it near the gorge. They also recovered a broken mobile screen and a jacket linked to Akash in Uttar Pradesh's Bina district. At the time of his arrest, Anand was reportedly still wearing the same clothes he had on during the murder. Meghalaya Police sent a 20-member team to Madhya Pradesh to apprehend the remaining accused. While much has been pieced together, gaps still remain. It's not yet confirmed whether Sonam stayed back in Meghalaya after the murder or returned immediately to Indore. Police continue to examine phone records and travel timelines. Meanwhile, public interest in the case continues to grow, fuelled by new revelations and the dramatic unfolding of a crime that began with a honeymoon.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Meghalaya Police to produce Sonam, other accused before court on Wednesday
Shillong, A special investigation team of the Meghalaya Police will produce Sonam Raghuvanshi and the other accused before a local court here on Wednesday, officials said. Meghalaya Police, which codenamed the investigation as 'Operation Honeymoon', had collected evidence from the residences and other places frequented by the accused in Indore and Ghazipur on Tuesday, they said. "We have collected additional evidence from the homes of Sonam and other accused involved in the murder of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi in both Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh," a senior police officer told PTI. The SIT has secured a six-day remand for the accused persons from Indore and three days for Sonam, the prime accused in the murder plot. Sonam has arrived at LGBI Airport in Guwahati and will be taken to Shillong by Meghalaya Police, an airport official said. She is scheduled to arrive here around midnight. The SIT has been tasked with "reconstructing the events leading to the murder" and ensuring that it is a "water-tight case", the police officer added. According to the SIT, Sonam took a local taxi to reach Guwahati before boarding a train. Her accomplices – the three arrested accused – also took a tourist taxi to the station in Guwahati where they boarded a train to Indore. "Sonam actually took a local taxi from Mawkdok and then hopped on a local train from Guwahati. She kept changing trains on her way to Indore," East Khasi Hills district Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem told PTI. Mawkdok is a tourist spot located near Sohrarim where the couple's rented scooter from Shillong was found abandoned. Sonam, a 24-year-old woman from Indore, had allegedly orchestrated the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, during their honeymoon in the scenic town of Sohra in Meghalaya, state DGP I Nongrang said on Monday, revealing the details of the shocking crime that triggered a manhunt across three states. Raja was killed by men allegedly hired by Sonam, who went 'missing' and surfaced in UP's Ghazipur where she surrendered at the Nandganj police station after the arrest of three assailants Akash Rajput , Vishal Singh Chauhan , and Raj Singh Kushwaha in overnight raids, police said. The couple, who got married on May 11 in Indore and went to Meghalaya on their honeymoon, disappeared on May 23, hours after checking out of a homestay at Nongriat village, 20 km from where his body was found 10 days later on June 2. Raja's relatives identified the body through a distinctive tattoo on his right hand. A woman's white shirt, a strip of medicine, a part of the LCD screen of a mobile phone, and a smartwatch were also seized at the spot.
