Meghalaya murder: Officials raid accused Vishal's home, recover key evidence

Meghalaya Police, working alongside Indore Crime Branch, conducted a crucial search operation Tuesday at the residence of one of four men accused of murdering Raja Raghuvanshi during his honeymoon trip to Meghalaya.

The joint operation focused on the home of accused Vishal Singh Chauhan, where investigators made a significant breakthrough. ACP Poonamchand Yadav of the Indore Crime Branch confirmed that officers recovered the clothes Chauhan wore while present in Shillong on the day of the murder.

"They have accepted that they have committed the murder. We are searching for his mobile," Yadav stated, indicating the suspects have confessed to the killing.

The case has shocked residents who knew the accused. Vimla Patel, the landlord of another suspect, Anand Kurmi, expressed disbelief at the allegations against her tenant of four to five years.

"He used to work as a labourer. He never came across as someone who could do such a thing," Patel told reporters. She revealed that Kurmi, originally from Bina, left approximately 20-25 days ago, claiming he was going travelling.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rajesh Dandotiya confirmed that all four accused - Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, Raj Singh Kushwaha, and Anand Kurmi - are currently in custody at the Indore Police Commissionerate. The suspects will be transported to Shillong following completion of transit remand procedures.

"The Shillong Police interrogated them. The transit remand of the three accused was taken yesterday. Today, the fourth accused has been arrested," Dandotiya explained.

The murder case centres around allegations that Raja Raghuvanshi was killed by contract killers hired by his own wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi. The couple, both residents of Indore, Madhya Pradesh, had travelled to Meghalaya for their honeymoon when they went missing.

Meghalaya Police have already taken Sonam Raghuvanshi into custody after locating her near a roadside eatery on the Varanasi-Ghazipur highway in Uttar Pradesh. She was initially kept at a women's support centre in Ghazipur before being transferred to Patna's Phulwari Sarif police station under a three-day transit remand.

Raja Raghuvanshi's body was subsequently discovered in Meghalaya, confirming the worst fears of investigating officers.

The case has drawn attention to the elaborate planning allegedly involved in the crime, with suspects reportedly travelling across multiple states to carry out the murder during what should have been a celebration of the new marriage.