Latest news with #RingRoadShubha
News18
2 days ago
- News18
2 Women, 2 Killings: A Murder Like Raja Raghuvanshi's Shook Bengaluru 22 Years Ago
Last Updated: Raja Raghuvanshi's murder in Shillong, allegedly plotted by his wife Sonam and her lover, mirrors the 2003 Bengaluru case where Shubha killed her partner with her lover's help The gruesome murder of Indore man Raja Raghuvanshi during what was supposed to be a romantic honeymoon in Shillong, Meghalaya, sent shockwaves across the country. As police unspooled the chilling plot involving his newlywed wife Sonam and her alleged lover, Raj Kushwaha, many were reminded of a hauntingly similar crime that unfolded over two decades ago in Bengaluru – one that remains etched in public memory for its cold calculation and betrayal. On November 30, 2003, 27-year-old software engineer Girish was engaged to Shubha Shankarnarayan, a seemingly well-mannered and soft-spoken 21-year-old woman. Their families, long-time neighbours in Bengaluru's Banashankari area, had known each other for years. What should have been a happy union took a sinister turn within just four days. On the night of December 3, Shubha invited Girish for dinner near the HAL Airport. After their meal, she suggested they stay back to watch planes land, a romantic setting with deadly intent. As Girish gazed skyward, he was suddenly attacked from behind with a blunt weapon. Shubha rushed him to Manipal Hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries before help could arrive. Initially, Shubha told police that a stranger had ambushed them. But the investigators weren't convinced. Something about her story didn't add up. Digging into her phone records, detectives discovered she had exchanged 74 calls and messages that night with a man named Arun, her alleged lover. Further investigation revealed a deadly conspiracy of Shubha being in love with Arun and resenting her family's decision to marry her off to Girish. With the help of three accomplices – Arun, Venkatesh, and Dinkar – Subha orchestrated the murder. All four were arrested and, in 2010, sentenced to life imprisonment by a Sessions Court. The Karnataka High Court upheld the verdict, but in 2014, the Supreme Court granted Shubha bail. The story later inspired a Kannada film, Ring Road Shubha, notably produced by an all-women crew. Fast forward to May 2024, newlyweds Raja and Sonam Raghuvanshi had travelled from Indore to Meghalaya for their honeymoon, seemingly beginning a new chapter in life. After checking out of a guest house in Shillong on May 22, the couple headed toward Sohra (Cherrapunji), famous for its rain-drenched cliffs and deep valleys. They never returned. Days later, Raja's rented scooter was found abandoned on the edge of a forest trail. On June 2, his mutilated body was recovered from a deep gorge near Weisadong Falls. Scattered near the body were torn clothes, broken mobile phone parts, and a blood-stained raincoat – signs that this was no hiking mishap. While Sonam was initially presumed missing, she resurfaced on June 8 in a shocking twist. She walked into a police station in Uttar Pradesh and confessed that she had, indeed, plotted Raja's murder. According to police, Sonam revealed she had never wanted to marry Raja, but family pressure left her with few choices. Her heart, she said, belonged to Raj Kushwaha, an accountant at her father's textile firm. Sonam and Raj, in collusion with three hired killers, lured Raja to a secluded area in Sohra. There, as per her confession, he was ambushed, brutally assaulted, and thrown into the gorge to erase all traces. What was meant to be a scenic honeymoon had instead been the staging ground for a calculated murder. In both crimes, the thread of betrayal runs deep. Women engaged or newly married against their will, chose to eliminate their partners with the help of lovers rather than confront societal or familial pressure. The use of secluded locations, fabricated stories, and digital footprints that ultimately unraveled the truth – each detail underscores the chilling similarities.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Meghalaya honeymoon horror: 21 years on, same script of love, lies, and betrayal echoes 2003 Bengaluru techie murder
Image source X NEW DELHI: It began as a love story — a young woman engaged to a software engineer in Bengaluru in 2003. Four days after the engagement, the fiancé was bludgeoned to death on a quiet stretch near HAL Airport. Two decades later, in 2025, in the misty valleys of Meghalaya, a newlywed from Indore was hacked to death and dumped in a gorge by contract killers hired by his wife — the woman he had married just days earlier. Two murders. Separated by 21 years. But bound by chilling parallels — betrayal in love, the manipulation of trust, and an orchestrated kill in a desolate location. As investigators dig deeper into the murder of 29-year-old Raja Raghuvanshi in Sohra (Cherrapunji), Meghalaya, the case has brought back sharp memories of the infamous 2003 'Ring Road Murder' in Bengaluru, where 27-year-old Girish was killed in cold blood by his fiancée Shubha Shankaranarayan. Then a final-year law student, Shubha plotted the murder with her lover and college junior, Arun Verma, days after getting engaged to Girish against her will. THE 2003 MURDER THAT SHOCKED BENGALURU Girish, a software engineer with Intel, got engaged to Shubha, 21, on November 30, 2003. The families, neighbours in Banashankari II Stage, had known each other for over a decade. On the night of December 3, under the guise of a dinner outing, Shubha led Girish to a dark stretch near the HAL Airport, claiming she wanted to watch planes take off. Moments later, a hired killer struck from behind with a blunt weapon while Girish watched an aircraft. Shubha rushed Girish to Manipal Hospital, where he died. She claimed an unknown assailant had attacked him, but call records revealed dozens of calls to Arun Verma — her boyfriend. Bengaluru Police soon arrested four people: Shubha, Arun, and two others — Venkatesh and Dinakar — all found guilty of conspiracy and murder. A sessions court sentenced them to life in 2010. The Karnataka High Court upheld the verdict, saying the behaviour of the accused was 'compatible with guilt and incompatible with innocence.' Shubha, in 2014, was granted bail by the Supreme Court years later after having spent over four years in prison, while her co-accused were also released on bail. Her case even inspired a Kannada film, Ring Road Shubha, with an all-woman crew. 2025: ANOTHER LOVE STORY, ANOTHER DEATH Fast forward to May 2025 — Raja Raghuvanshi and Sonam, married just nine days earlier, arrived in Meghalaya for their honeymoon. On May 22, they were last seen checking out of a Shillong guesthouse, heading towards Sohra. A day later, they vanished. Raja's rented scooter was found abandoned. On June 2, his decomposed body was recovered from a gorge near Weisawdong Falls. A freshly bought dao (machete), raincoat, phone parts, and blood-stained clothing were found nearby. Police confirmed it was a planned killing. The shock only deepened when Sonam, initially believed to be missing, surrendered at a UP police station on June 8. Far from being a victim, she was named the mastermind. According to Meghalaya Police, she conspired with her lover Raj Kushwaha — an accountant in her father's firm — and hired three others to carry out the murder. Posters at Raja's funeral in Indore read: 'I did not die... I was killed.' His family, devastated and demanding a CBI probe, said the location where the body was found was so remote that only someone familiar with the terrain could reach it. STRIKING SIMILARITIES Both murders were committed by individuals who had pledged love but were secretly aligned with another partner. Both cases involved carefully planned attacks in secluded areas — one by an airport runway, the other deep in a forested gorge. In both, the victim was lured to the location under a false pretext. The Shubha-Girish case became one of the most sensational murder trials in Karnataka. With Raja's murder now unravelling by the day, public memory has turned to that haunting December night in 2003. Different names, different timelines. But the playbook of betrayal hasn't changed.
