Honeymoon Murder: 'Killer' wife Sonam Raghuvanshi surrenders, 'lover' arrested, what we know about Meghalaya case
Honeymoon Murder: 'Killer' wife Sonam Raghuvanshi surrenders, 'lover' arrested, what we know about Meghalaya case | Timeline
Meghalaya Honeymoon Murder: The romantic honeymoon visit of a newlywed Indori couple took a dangerous turn in Shillong. 16 days of rigorous search and a plethora of unanswered questions have finally come to a chilling, dramatic end that has shocked everyone. The wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, in the wee hours of Monday, reached a police station in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur and surrendered herself.
The Meghalaya Police, who was investigating the case, announced that Sonam Raghuvanshi, who had gone missing in Shillong since May 23 surrendered in UP, almost 7 days after her husband Raja Raghuvanshi's decomposed body was found inside a gorge in the Cherrapunji area.
During their honeymoon, Sonam allegedly hired someone to kill Raja Raghuvanshi. A senior Meghalaya police official told the media that this action was linked to Sonam's suspected affair with a man named – Raj Kushwaha.
Here is the timeline of what we know so far about the chilling case:
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Time of India
19 minutes ago
- Time of India
Indore honeymooner murder case: Court grants 7-day transit remand for further investigation
The Shillong Police have obtained a 7-day transit remand to continue investigating the murder case of Raja Raghuvanshi, an Indore-based honeymooner whose body was found in Shillong. The police are working to uncover the motive and circumstances surrounding his death, while the search for his missing wife Sonam continues. Show more Show less
Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
Meghalaya hits back: After solving honeymoon murder, state demands apology for online vilification and tourism smear
With police in Meghalaya resolving the murder mystery of a Honeymoon couple, several organisations and pressure in Meghalaya are demanding apology from social media users and organisations who vilified the state in the wake of murder and tried to harm the tourism industry of the state. Various organisations in Meghalaya, including the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC), staged a silent demonstration at Police Bazar on Monday to denounce the recent murder of a tourist from Indore Raja Raghuvanshi. On Tuesday a rally was organised by some organisations denouncing the remarks made by the several people against the state in its people. HYC President Roykupar Synrem said that Meghalaya has always been a peaceful and hospitable place for visitors. 'This incident is unfortunate and should not define our state. There have been several instances in the recent past where individuals from outside committed crimes and fled Meghalaya." Synrem further urged the government to implement the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in the state at the earliest. He stressed that doing so would act as a deterrent to criminal elements and enhance the safety and monitoring of outsiders entering Meghalaya. The Meghalaya government has filed FIRs against some media outlets, some YouTubers and family members of the accused and the victim for running a campaign against the state soon after reports of disappearance of the honeymoon couple emerged. Tourism minister Paul Lyngdoh on Monday said that the murder case is the fallout of a love triangle where Sonam Raghuvanshi and her lover hired contract killers to kill her husband, Raja. 'As far as the attack on the image of Meghalaya, the media trial and slugfest that was orchestrated by some news channel, the state government through police has registered FIRs and we will also move legally on the matter to ensure all perpetrators who attacked the image of Meghalaya are brought to book." A'chik Youth Welfare Organization (AYWO) has also issued a statement condemning the 'pernicious' and 'prejudiced' narratives propagated against the state and its indigenous people in the wake of a crime involving the disappearance of a tourist couple from Indore in Meghalaya. While calling upon the state government to take 'decisive action' to safeguard the state's dignity and honour and initiate legal action against the brother of the deceased, AYWO urged the government to address the 'broader' defamatory campaign by engaging with national media to ensure accountability and demand retraction of their misleading reports. Sonam Raghuvanshi, the woman who is suspected to be involved in the murder of her husband, surrendered to police. Sonam was located and taken into custody from Ghazipur district in Uttar Pradesh. She surrendered at the Nandganj police station late Sunday night. Meghalaya police claimed that it has successfully solved the mysterious case. Sonam, who had reportedly gone missing after her husband's body was discovered in a gorge beneath the Weisawdong Falls parking lot in East Khasi Hills on June 2. The police have so far arrested four individuals, including Sonam. Three others were apprehended from different states; one in Uttar Pradesh, and two in Madhya Pradesh's Indore. Sonam is accused of orchestrating her husband's killing by hiring contract killers. Sonam's family has strongly refuted the murder allegations. Her father, Devi Singh, maintains that his daughter is innocent and has called for an independent inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Indore Parliamentarian Shankar Lalwani recently came and met with senior police officials, including Director General of Police Idashisha Nongrang to take stock of the details into the matter. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav personally reached out to his Meghalaya counterpart, Conrad Sangma, to discuss the case, following which Lalwani made his visit. Raja, a transport businessman, and Sonam had travelled to Meghalaya for their honeymoon on May 20. They were last seen in Shillong's Sohrarim area on May 23. Their abandoned scooter was discovered near Osara Hills the same day.
Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
Raja Raghuvanshi murder case: Three mothers grieve after honeymoon turns deadly
What began as a dreamy honeymoon for an Indore-based couple in Meghalaya has unravelled into a sordid saga of murder and betrayal, leaving three families heartbroken. The shocking death of 29-year-old Indore transport businessman Raja Raghuvanshi has ripped open a dark secret, plunging three mothers into unimaginable grief. As Meghalaya Police peel the layers of this horrific crime, the narrative points to a "murder of trust" within the most intimate of relationships. Ads By Google Ad will close in 28 Skip ad in 3 Skip Ad by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 55 Genius Gizmos for Easier Living After 55 Unforgettable Gadgets Shop Now Undo According to Meghalaya Police, Sonam was allegedly involved in the conspiracy to murder her husband Raja Raghuvanshi with her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha. The duo had hired three killers to execute the plan. Uma Raghuvanshi stands by her son Raja's garlanded photograph, her face a mask of grief and bewildered anger. Live Events "Initially, we couldn't believe that my daughter-in-law Sonam could get my son Raja killed," she told PTI, her voice trembling. "But we are slowly starting to believe it now." The questions that haunt her is, "If Sonam liked another boy, why didn't she refuse to marry Raja? Why did she kill my son?" The two got married on May 11 and left for honeymoon on May 20. During the probe, it emerged that Sonam herself had planned the trip to Meghalaya. "I didn't know that my son would return from Meghalaya as a dead body," Uma said while crying inconsolably and recalling the warm send-off the day the couple left, little knowing that it would turn into a tragic farewell. The family was completely unaware of Raj Kushwaha's existence before the Meghalaya police investigated the case. Miles away from Raja's residence, in a small rented house in Indore, Raj Kushwaha's mother, Chunni Devi, is also inconsolable, along with her three daughters. "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 in our house after my husband passed away," she told PTI. She also claimed that her son even attended Raja Raghuvanshi's funeral procession and returned home in tears. "My son was saddened by Raja Raghuvanshi's death and even went to his funeral procession. After returning from the funeral procession, he was crying a lot. I had consoled him that everything will be fine and what is the use of crying now," the mother of the alleged main conspirator said. Sonam's maternal home in Indore's Govind Nagar Kharcha area is in a different kind of shock. Her family runs a business dealing in Sunmica sheets, where Raj Kushwaha, a 12th-grade dropout, worked as an accountant. Sonam's mother, Sangeeta, was reluctant to speak to the media. "False allegations are being made against my daughter. I cannot say right now what might have happened to Raja Raghuvanshi in Meghalaya?" she muttered. The mother of Sonam, the alleged main accused, demanded that there should be a detailed investigation into the murder of her son-in-law. Raja Raghuvanshi and Sonam were reported missing on May 23 and days later, the body of the newlywed groom was discovered on June 2 in a deep gorge near a waterfall in Sohra, also known as Cherrapunji, in the East Khasi Hills district. Sonam surrendered to the police in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur district, while Raj Kushwaha and three other accused were apprehended in various parts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Meghalaya Police is probing every detail of this case. However, for the three mothers whose lives have been irrevocably shattered, the tears continue to flow.
