As the investigation into the chilling murder of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi during his honeymoon in Meghalaya deepens, the family of one of the key accused, Raj Kushwaha, has come forward to claim his innocence. Raj’s mother, Chunni Devi, asserted that her son had been “framed” and that he was devastated by Raja’s death.
Speaking to PTI, Chunni Devi said,
“He was crying inconsolably when he returned home from the funeral. I tried to calm him down, saying everything will be fine and there is no use crying.”
Raj, who was working at the plywood factory owned by Sonam Raghuvanshi’s family in Indore, had reportedly attended Raja’s funeral and even appeared in a viral video consoling Sonam’s father, Devi Singh Raghuvanshi, ahead of the cremation.
“He used to call Sonam ‘Didi’”
In an attempt to refute the claims of an affair between Raj and Sonam, Raj’s younger sister Suhani told reporters:
“Sonam used to call him for official work, and Raj always addressed her as Didi. They never spoke for more than two to three minutes.”
Raj, 20, was employed as an accountant at the furniture sheet factory run by Sonam’s family for the last two years.
Despite these claims, Meghalaya Police have named Raj Kushwaha as one of the prime suspects in the murder case. According to investigators, Raj and Sonam—alleged lovers—plotted Raja Raghuvanshi’s murder, which was carried out with the help of four other accused.
Sonam’s family also denies involvement
Meanwhile, Sonam Raghuvanshi’s family continues to maintain that she is innocent and was actually abducted. Her father, Devi Singh Raghuvanshi, alleged:
“Meghalaya Police are making false allegations against my daughter to save their skin.”
Sonam was arrested on Sunday from a dhaba in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur, where she had reportedly contacted her family and informed them of her location. Police say she was on the run after the murder, which took place on May 23, during the couple’s honeymoon in the Sohra region of East Khasi Hills. Raja’s decomposed body was recovered on June 2 from a gorge near Wei Sawdong Falls.
The murder case continues to unfold, with multiple arrests already made and both sides of the families pushing contradictory narratives — one claiming premeditated murder, and the other conspiracy and abduction.