Sonam Stayed Here Secretly After Raja's Murder, Had A Rental Agreement Too
Sonam Raghuvanshi took shelter at a rented accommodation in Indore after murdering her newly wed husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, during their honeymoon in Meghalaya last month, police sources said.
Sonam, who was reported "missing" after Raja's body was recovered from a deep gorge in the northeastern state, escaped and went into hiding at the Indore flat that was rented by one of the three hitmen involved in the crime.
The flat was taken on lease by Vishal Singh Chauhan, who was the first one to attack Raja with a machete in Meghalaya, the sources said. The remaining hitmen were identified as Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi.
The sources said the accommodation is located five kilometres away from Vishal's house, and was taken on rent on May 30, seven days after the brutal crime that has sent shockwaves across the country.
"The police verification was also done while he was taking the flat on rent. He said he was an interior designer and was looking for a flat to stay in. It was this flat where Sonam hid in after the murder," one of the sources said.
"An advance of Rs 16,000 was also given to the landlord," the source added.
Raj Kushwaha, Sonam's lover whom police said was the main conspirator, had ordered ration worth Rs 5,000 online for her in the flat, another source said.
The case initially began as that of a "missing couple", after 29-year-old Raja and 24-year-old Sonam could not be traced during their honeymoon in the northeastern state, but took a tragic turn and revealed a shocking betrayal.
The couple - both from Indore - got married on May 11. According to the police, the wedding took place despite Sonam's relationship with Raj, who worked as an accountant at the furniture sheet unit owned by her family. Sonam used to look after the family business.
After their wedding in Indore, Raja and Sonam travelled to Meghalaya for honeymoon. They disappeared on May 23, hours after checking out of a homestay at Nongriat village, 20 km from where Raja's body was found on June 2.
Amid an intense search for "missing" Sonam, she surfaced in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur on June 8 and later surrendered at Nandganj police station. This came hours after Akash, Vishal, and Anand were arrested from Uttar Pradesh and Indore and Sagar towns (in Madhya Pradesh). Raj was arrested later.
On Wednesday, Sonam reportedly confessed to killing her husband. Police said her cousin, Jitendra Raghuvanshi, had cleared the first installment of payment to the three hitmen.
Sonam's brother Govind said his family has snapped all ties with her. He also expressed solidarity with Raja's grieving family members and vowed to help them in their fight for justice in a case which has shocked the nation.
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