In a chilling twist to what began as a honeymoon trip, Sonam Raghuvanshi, a 24-year-old resident of Indore, has been arrested for allegedly orchestrating the murder of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, during their vacation in Meghalaya.
Sonam was apprehended at a dhaba (eatery) on the Varanasi-Ghazipur highway, as confirmed by Ghazipur SP Iraz Raja. After her arrest, she was taken to Sadar Hospital for medical examination and then placed at a one-stop centre for women in distress.
According to the Meghalaya Police, Sonam hired three assailants to murder Raja in the scenic town of Sohra (Cherrapunjee), following which she allegedly vanished. Raja’s body was recovered from a gorge near Weisawdong Falls on June 2, ten days after the couple was reported missing.
Meghalaya DGP I Nongrang detailed the alleged plot and confirmed that three suspects — Raj Singh Kushwaha (21), Akash Rajput (19), and Vishal Singh Chauhan (22) — have been arrested in connection with the murder. Two of the accused were caught in Indore, while the third was arrested in Lalitpur, UP.
East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem said that Raja’s body was identified by a distinctive tattoo on his right hand, and other items recovered included a white shirt, medicines, a damaged mobile LCD, and a smartwatch.
Meanwhile, Sonam has denied the charges, claiming at the women’s centre that she was “kidnapped” and had no role in the murder. Her father, Devi Singh Raghuvanshi, also defended her, insisting she was innocent and had come to Ghazipur voluntarily.
The three accused have been remanded to seven-day transit custody to Meghalaya, while Sonam’s transfer to the state is pending legal formalities.
Raja and Sonam had been married on May 11 in Indore and had travelled to Meghalaya for their honeymoon. They went missing on May 23, a day after checking out from a homestay in Nongriat village.
The shocking crime, spanning three states, has sparked widespread public attention as more details of the grisly plot emerge.