‘That’s when I realised’: Meghalaya guide recalls moment he identified honeymoon murder accused

Albert Pde, the local guide who tipped off police about suspicious activity he witnessed in Meghalaya's Mawlakhiat village, has shared his detailed testimony about the events leading to the honeymoon murder case. Speaking to the media today, Pde recounted his encounters with the couple and the three men who would later kill Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi during what appeared to be a honeymoon trip.

Pde first encountered the couple on May 22 when he approached them near the famous Double Decker Bridge route in Nongriat. Following his friend Bha Wansaikupar's suggestion, he offered his guiding services to Raja Raghuvanshi, 29, and his newly married wife Sonam, 24.

"I told her, 'You should take a local guide tomorrow. You could get lost on the way to Tyrna village. If you get lost, you'll need to take a taxi, which could cost around 3,000 to 4,000 rupees,'" Pde recalled. The woman declined his offer, insisting they knew the route for their planned trek the following day.

The next morning brought an unsettling sight that would haunt Pde for weeks. He spotted the same couple on the trail, but this time they weren't alone. "On May 23, I saw them on the trail, somewhere along the way. Raja was walking with three people ahead, and Sonam was coming behind," he said. The guide noticed something odd about their formation and behaviour, though he didn't approach them.

What Pde witnessed was the final act of a murder conspiracy that had been months in the making. Meghalaya police investigations later revealed that Sonam's boyfriend, Raj Kushwaha, had masterminded an elaborate plot to eliminate Raja just days after their May 11 wedding. The plan involved recruiting three accomplices—Vishal, Akash, and Anand—who would carry out the killing while making it appear that Sonam had also perished or disappeared.

East Khasi Hills district Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem disclosed that the conspiracy began taking shape in February in Indore. "The planning started in February in Indore, and they had thought of ways about how Sonam would disappear after the killing of Raja," he explained. The group had devised multiple scenarios, including burning an unidentified woman's body to pass it off as Sonam's remains.

The execution proved brutally efficient. At Weisawdong Falls, between 2 pm and 2:18 pm on May 23, the three men attacked Raja with a machete purchased in Assam, killing him in front of his wife before disposing of his body in a gorge. Sonam then began her elaborate escape, donning a burqa provided by the conspirators and embarking on a circuitous journey across multiple states.

Her escape route took her from Meghalaya to Guwahati by taxi, then to Siliguri by bus, followed by multiple bus journeys to Patna and Arah, before taking a train to Lucknow and finally reaching Indore by bus. The plan was for her to later surface in Siliguri, claiming to be an abduction victim.

However, the conspiracy began unravelling when Albert Pde's testimony reached investigators. "At first, I didn't know. I later saw the same people on YouTube. That's when I realised who they were," Pde explained, referring to how he identified the suspects from police photographs and media coverage.

Pde's professional instincts as a guide proved crucial to the investigation. "I tell all tourists who come from Mawlakhiat: you need to take a local guide for safety. A guide is compulsory because there are many different paths, and you can get lost easily," he said, emphasising the treacherous nature of the terrain where the murder occurred.

The case took a dramatic turn when Sonam surrendered in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur on June 9, approximately 1,200 kilometres from the crime scene. Her surrender came after police teams from Meghalaya had already begun closing in, having arrested Akash in Uttar Pradesh. The arrest triggered panic among the conspirators, forcing Sonam to abandon her victim narrative.

Police investigations revealed the financial motivation behind the plot, with Raj Kushwaha providing Rs 50,000 to cover expenses for the murder. "The three young people were friends, and one of them is a cousin of Raj. It was not a typical contract killing. Yes, the plan was to kill and they did it as a favour to their friend Raj," SP Syiem clarified.

The recovery of physical evidence, including the bloodstained raincoat that Sonam had given to Akash and the abandoned two-wheeler, corroborated the testimonies. Albert Pde's identification of the suspects from photographs provided the crucial link that helped police reconstruct the crime sequence.

Deputy Inspector General DNR Marak confirmed that the Special Investigation Team is working with police across multiple states to strengthen the evidence chain. All five accused—Sonam, Raj Kushwaha, Vishal, Akash, and Anand—have been remanded to eight days of police custody as investigations continue.