Honeymoon to handcuffs: Sonam heads back to Meghalaya after arrest, to land in Guwahati today

Sonam Raghuvanshi (24), one of the accused arrested in connection with her husband's murder, is expected to land at Guwahati airport around 2:45 PM today, June 10. She will then be taken to Meghalaya for further investigation and legal proceedings, as the state has secured a seven-day transit custody.

The Shillong Police will transport Sonam from Ghazipur to Patna by road. From Patna, she will be flown to Guwahati on a commercial flight. After landing, she will be taken to Shillong by road.

Total, three accused have been sent to the transit custody of the Meghalaya police for seven days.

Additional DCP (Crime) Rajesh Dandotiya says, "All four accused are currently in Indore Police Commissionerate and interrogation is being done by Shillong Police. The transit remand of the three accused was taken yesterday. Today, the fourth accused has been arrested. Shillong Police will take all four accused with them today after taking transit remand..."

Sonam was produced before a local court in Ghazipur on June 9 night for transit remand permission, following which she was expected to be taken into custody by a Meghalaya Police team that reached here in the evening.

The court proceedings continued till late in the night.

A total of five persons have been arrested in the case so far.

Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife had gone missing while vacationing at Sohra in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district on May 23.

Raghuvanshi's body was found in a gorge near the Weisawdong waterfalls on June 2. Ms. Sonam (24) had gone missing since then.

Ghazipur SP Iraz Raja said Ms. Sonam was arrested from 'Kashi Dhaba' on the Varanasi-Ghazipur main road. She was sent to the Sadar Hospital for treatment and then kept at a one-stop centre, which provides assistance to women in distress, including medical and legal aid.

A dhaba employee told reporters that Ms. Sonam had asked for a phone to call her parents in Indore, which led to the Madhya Pradesh Police tracing her location.

Later, Uttar Pradesh Police was contacted, leading to her arrest.

At around 6:30 p.m. on Monday, a team of Meghalaya Police took Ms. Sonam into custody from the one-stop centre.

Although she was apprehended from the eatery, police said Ms. Sonam surrendered before the Nandganj police station in Ghazipur district.

Earlier in the day, Govind, Ms. Sonam's brother, reached Ghazipur from Meghalaya.

"If she is guilty, she should be hanged. Whatever the government decides, we will accept it," he told reporters.

Asked if he had spoken to Ms. Sonam, Mr. Govind said, "I don't know anything as of now. I have no idea. I have not met her. I have not slept for 17 days... I was searching for her with the police in Meghalaya." Akash Rajput was arrested from Chauki village in Uttar Pradesh's Lalitpur district on Sunday (June 8, 2025) night, SP Md Mustaque said.

"Meghalaya Police is interrogating Mr. Rajput. Further legal action will be taken by the concerned State police," the SP said.