Meghalaya honeymoon murder case: Two accused dropped from fresh chargesheet for lack of evidence

Two persons who were earlier arrested on suspicion of tampering with evidence in the murder of Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi in Meghalaya’s Sohra region have been dropped from a fresh chargesheet after allegations against them could not be substantiated during a detailed investigation, police said on February 3.

East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said the two accused, Balbir Ahirbar and Lokendra Singh Tomar, were arrested based on suspicion of destroying evidence linked to the case. However, the final findings of the investigation did not establish any role played by them in the alleged offence. Both are currently out on bail.

“The arrests were made on suspicion, but the investigation did not support the allegations. The final report found that they had no role whatsoever, which led to their dismissal from the case, and hence their names were not included in the chargesheet,” Syiem told PTI.

The police have now filed a second chargesheet in the case, naming only one of the three persons who were earlier arrested for alleged tampering with evidence. The matter is expected to come up for hearing in court shortly.

Meanwhile, the prime accused in the case, Raja Raghuvanshi’s wife Sonam Raghuvanshi, continues to remain in judicial custody. A court recently rejected her bail plea, the police said.

Raja Raghuvanshi, a resident of Madhya Pradesh, was murdered in May last year in a secluded area near the popular Wei Sawdong Falls in Sohra, located in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district. His decomposed body was recovered from a deep gorge on June 2 after an extensive search operation.

Police had earlier said that Raja and Sonam, who were newly married at the time, had travelled to Meghalaya on a honeymoon-cum-holiday trip. Sonam was later accused of plotting and executing the murder before fleeing the state.

According to police sources, the motive behind the crime was linked to a love triangle and financial disputes. Investigators had alleged that the accused attempted to destroy evidence and dispose of the body to conceal the murder.