Meghalaya court grants bail to property dealer in Raja Raghuvanshi murder case

A local court in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district on Friday granted bail to Silome James, a property dealer arrested in connection with the high-profile murder of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi. 

The bail hearing was conducted through video conferencing.

DKK Mihsill, First Class Judicial Magistrate in charge of Sohra sub-division, approved James’ bail, according to his advocate Devesh Sharma. James, a resident of Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh, had been under investigation after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) recovered Raja's missing gold chain during a raid at his residence.

James, along with two others — Lokendra Singh Tomar and Balbir Ahirwa — had been accused of obstructing justice and tampering with evidence at an Indore flat where Raja's wife Sonam and her alleged partner Raj Kushwaha stayed after the murder. Tomar and Ahirwa were earlier granted bail on July 13.

Also Read: Meghalaya launches probe as recruitment irregularities' allegations surface in state

Raja Raghuvanshi had gone missing on May 23 while honeymooning in Meghalaya with his wife Sonam, whom he had married just days earlier on May 11. His mutilated body was discovered on June 2 in a deep gorge in Sohra.

The investigation led police to uncover an alleged murder-for-hire plot involving Sonam, Raj Kushwaha, and three contract killers — Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Anand Kurmi — all of whom are now in judicial custody.