Meghalaya honeymoon murder: New photo of Sonam-Raj surfaces

In a fresh development in Raja Raghuvanshi’s murder case, a new photo of his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi and her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha has surfaced. The picture was clicked in Indore’s Vijay Nagar area. The Meghalaya murder victim’s elder brother, Sachin Raghuwanshi, told India TV that the affection between the two is clearly visible in all their photos.

Police may seek more remand for accused

The current 8-day remand of Sonam, Raj Kushwaha, and three others in the Meghalaya murder case will end next Wednesday. Police sources indicate that they may request an additional 3-day remand from the court. If required, the accused could also be taken to the crime scene for a murder recreation, though no date has been confirmed for it yet.

Interrogations so far have revealed that Raj Kushwaha is the mastermind behind the murder, with Sonam as his co-conspirator. The other three accused, Akash, Vishal, and Anand, allegedly carried out the killing on Raj’s instructions.

Mastermind identified: Sonam's boyfriend orchestrated the killing

According to East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem, the conspiracy was led by Raj Kushwaha, allegedly Sonam’s boyfriend. Sonam, who became a co-conspirator, had agreed to the plan shortly before her wedding to Raja on May 11 in Indore. The group of five accused including Sonam, Raj, and his friends Vishal, Akash, and Anand—had been planning the murder since February.

After Raja's murder, Sonam fled Meghalaya disguised in a burqa. She used multiple modes of transport, taxi, bus, and train, to travel from Guwahati to Siliguri, then to Patna, Arah, Lucknow, and finally Indore. She eventually surfaced in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, on June 9 and surrendered.

The murder took place on May 23 in Meghalaya's scenic Sohra area. Raja and Sonam had travelled there days after their wedding. Raj and his three friends had arrived in advance and met the couple at Nongriat. Together, they went to Weisawdong Falls, where Raj's associates attacked Raja with a machete in Sonam's presence between 2:00 and 2:18 PM. His body was thrown into a gorge and was recovered later on June 2 by Meghalaya Police.