Meghalaya Police get 3-day remand of Indore man linked to Raja Raghuvanshi murder probe

A man accused of helping cover up evidence in the high-profile murder case of Raja Raghuvanshi has been taken into custody by Meghalaya Police. Lokendra Singh Tomar, owner of the Indore flat where Raja’s wife Sonam Raghuvanshi reportedly stayed after fleeing Meghalaya, was remanded to police custody for 72 hours on Tuesday.

Tomar was detained on Monday from a flat in Gwalior’s Gandhi Nagar area after Indore’s DCP (Crime) coordinated with local police. He spent the night at Mohana police station before being formally handed over to Meghalaya Police the next morning. “He was produced in district court and sent on three-day transit remand,” confirmed station in-charge Rashid Khan.

According to police, Tomar is accused of aiding in the destruction and concealment of crucial evidence linked to the murder. East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police V. Syiem had earlier confirmed Tomar was wanted in the case.

Tomar, however, denies any involvement. “I am aware of allegations. I had given my flat on rent in Indore. I do not know anyone in this case,” he told reporters while being escorted by police. “The bag being talked about was not with me. Apart from this, nothing has been recovered from me. I used to talk only to James.”

Investigators believe that after the murder, Sonam hid a box containing important evidence in Tomar’s Indore flat. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) earlier arrested property dealer Silome James in Dewas and a security guard, Balla Ahirwar, in Ashok Nagar for allegedly helping conceal that box. Both are suspected of assisting Sonam during her escape.

Raja Raghuvanshi, who married Sonam on May 11 in Indore, had travelled with her to Meghalaya for their honeymoon on May 20. They went missing on May 23 while visiting Sohra, near Shillong. His decomposed body was discovered on June 2 in a gorge near a local waterfall.

Sonam is accused of conspiring with her boyfriend, Raj Kushwaha, to kill her husband. She fled Meghalaya and travelled across multiple states—including Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh—before reaching Indore. She eventually surrendered in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, on June 8.

So far, eight people have been arrested in connection with the case, including Sonam, Kushwaha, three contract killers, and others allegedly involved in hiding evidence. Tomar is the latest to be taken into custody as investigators try to unravel the full extent of the conspiracy.