Court sends Sonam, 'lover' Raj to 13-day judicial custody in Meghalaya murder case

A local court on Saturday remanded Sonam Raghuvanshi and her alleged boyfriend Raj Kushwaha to 13-day judicial custody in connection with the brutal killing of Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi.

The special investigation team, which had earlier been granted police custody of the two prime accused, opted not to seek an extension. “The accused were remanded to 13-day judicial custody. The police did not seek extension of the custody,” confirmed Assistant Public Prosecutor Tushar Chanda.

The couple had reportedly gone missing on May 23 while honeymooning in Sohra (Cherrapunji), Meghalaya. Ten days later, on June 2, Raja's highly decomposed body was found dumped in a gorge, sending shockwaves across the country. Sonam, his wife, remained untraceable until she eventually surrendered to police after the arrest of her alleged lover and three contract killers.

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According to investigators, Raj Kushwaha, along with hitmen Akash Rajput (19), Vishal Singh Chauhan (22), and Raj Singh Kushwaha (21), had conspired and executed Raja’s murder, allegedly at the behest of Sonam. The three hitmen were arrested from Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, while Sonam surrendered shortly after.

Earlier, on June 11, a court had granted an 8-day police remand for all five accused. While the hitmen were subsequently sent to 14-day judicial custody, Sonam and Raj had their remand extended by two days on June 19 before being shifted to judicial custody today.

Meanwhile, Raja's elder brother has accused Sonam of misleading the investigation and has demanded that all the accused be transferred to Indore for a more rigorous probe to uncover the entire truth.