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:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Meghalaya honeymoon case: What happened on the fateful day of Raja Raghuvanshi's murder
Sonam Raghuvanshi, a 24-year-old woman, was arrested for her suspected role in the murder of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, during their honeymoon in Meghalaya – just days after their wedding. The case took several dramatic turns after she surrendered in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, days after Raja's body was recovered on June 2. This came after reports of a 'missing couple' surfaced from May 23, with concerned families accusing Meghalaya Police of failing to trace them. Sonam later showed up at a dhaba in Ghazipur, prompting Meghalaya Police to act swiftly and take her into custody. It was then that the chilling details of the case emerged – she had allegedly hired a group of men to kill her husband. The investigation saw coordinated efforts from police in three states – Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh – to unravel the mystery behind the so-called 'honeymoon murder'. A senior officer told Hindustan Times on Wednesday that a Special Investigation Team plans to take Raja Raghuvanshi's alleged killers to Sohra and nearby areas in Meghalaya to reconstruct the crime. This comes after a Shillong court remanded his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, and the four other accused to eight days of police custody. Based on the initial questioning of the three accused arrested in Indore, police have reconstructed the sequence of events on the day Raja Raghuvanshi was murdered and what followed after. 5.30 am: Sonam and Raja Raghuvanshi checked out of Shipara Guest House, and left for a trek to Cherrapunji. 6 am: She messaged Vishal Chauhan, who was staying in another homestay, and the killers left for the same trek. 9.30 am – 10 am: The killers — Chauhan, Anand Kurmi, Akash Rajput — joined the couple, and befriended Raja. 10 am: A local guide, Albert Pde, spotted the five of them. 12.30 pm: Sonam spoke to her mother-in-law, Uma Raghuvanshi, and said Raja's phone was discharged. Raja also talked to his mother. 1 pm: They reached the parking lot of Wei Sawdong Waterfalls. 1.30 pm: Sonam claimed she was tired and slowed down during the uphill trek, while Raja continued ahead with Vishal and Akash. Kurmi kept a watch from behind. Vishal struck Raja on the back of his head and as Raja turned, Vishal struck his forehead with a sharp weapon. 2.15 pm: Sonam shared a message on social media. 2.30 pm: Raja's body was thrown into the gorge at Riat Arliang. Sonam left alone on a scooter and the three others on another scooter. 3.30 pm: They reconvened, Sonam transferred ₹15,000 through UPI to one of them. According to police, the money was transferred through an account under the name Jitendra Raghuvanshi. Sonam's brother, Govind, has told the police that Jitendra is their cousin. Sonam left Shillong the same day, the killers stayed back. May 25: Sonam returned to Indore on Kamakhya Express. May 30: The three other accused returned to Indore via Bihar. June 1: Raja's body was retrieved from the gorge. June 8: Sonam's boyfriend Raj Kushwaha and his cousin, Arvind, were arrested from Indore. Rajput was arrested from Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh. June 9: Sonam surrendered to Nauganj police in Gazipur; Kurmi is arrested from Bina in MP.
India Today
7 hours ago
- India Today
Anti-ICE protests spread across US cities, criminal charges filed against two protesters
18:15 In this episode of Newstrack, watch all the latest developments in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case and how his wife Sonam plotted his murder.
NDTV
12 hours ago
- NDTV
"Operation Honeymoon" Spreads Beyond Meghalaya Border, Focus On Guwahati
Guwahati: The operation -- code named Operation Honeymoon -- to unearth the missing links of the horrific "Honeymoon murder" continues with the Meghalaya police likely to raid more areas outside the state where the digital footprints of the accused are to be found. Sources in the Special Investigation Team said the idea is to find missing links in this case. Today, Meghalaya police with help of colleagues in Assam, raided a lodge in Pan Bazar locality of Guwahati, where the three alleged contract killers had stayed for a night while on their way to Shillong to kill Raja Raghuvanshi. According to Guwahati police sources, the three suspects had arrived at Ananda Lodge of Pan Bazar around 8.30 pm on May 19. The Meghalaya police searched the room they stayed in and recorded the statements of the lodge manager and staff who claimed the behaviour of the three was like any other boarders and they did not find anything suspicious. The men had supplied their Aadhar card as identity record at the lodge, police sources added. The men claimed they were students from Indore and were visiting Assam and other parts of northeast. They checked out early on next day - around 5:30 am, sources said. Meghalaya SIT feels that on May 20, the men had tailed the couple at Guwahati's Kamakhya Temple. The SIT had also found out that the men had bought the murder weapon- a new machete - from a flea market in Guwahati, like Fancy Bazar or Paltan Bazar area, not far from the lodge they stayed. Guwahati police sources added that the Meghalaya SIT is also analyzing CCTV footage of certain areas of the city where they found digital footprints of the accused. Search is on for the vendor from whom the machete was purchased.
