Meghalaya Police may bring prime accused Sonam to Indore as probe widens in husband’s murder

The Meghalaya police are likely to bring Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, to her hometown, Indore in Madhya Pradesh, in the coming days for further investigation, a police official said. The conspiracy behind the murder is believed to have been hatched in Indore.

Five persons, including Sonam (25) and her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha (20), have been arrested for conspiring and executing the murder of Raja (29), a transport businessman from Indore, during the couple's honeymoon in Meghalaya.

The Meghalaya police have named their investigation into the case 'Operation Honeymoon'.

Speaking to PTI, a Madhya Pradesh police official said, “Sonam came to Indore from Meghalaya after Raja's murder and stayed in a rented flat in Dewas Naka between May 25 and 27. She is likely to be brought here by the Meghalaya police for site verification and evidence gathering.”

Indore’s Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajesh Dandotia confirmed that local police would assist the Meghalaya team if asked to confirm Sonam’s presence in the city post-murder and her meeting with Kushwaha.

According to police, solid evidence links all five arrested individuals directly to the crime. The murder has sent shockwaves across the country.

Raja and Sonam had married in Indore on May 11 and went missing on May 23 during their honeymoon in Meghalaya. His body was found on June 2 in a deep gorge near a waterfall in Sohra (Cherrapunji), East Khasi Hills.

Initially reported missing, Sonam resurfaced in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, on Sunday night, where she surrendered. Her alleged accomplices — Akash Rajput (19), Vishal Singh Chauhan (22), and Anand Kurmi — had already been arrested.

Raj Singh Kushwaha (21), alleged to be in a romantic relationship with Sonam, was arrested later. Though he did not travel to Meghalaya, police believe this was a deliberate tactic to avoid suspicion.

Investigators are now working to trace Sonam’s movements post-murder, including who may have helped her while she was absconding. As per the SIT, Sonam took a local taxi from Mawkdok to Guwahati and then boarded a train, changing multiple trains en route to Indore.

The three arrested accomplices are believed to have taken a tourist taxi to Guwahati station and boarded a train to Indore shortly after the murder. (PTI)