Five including wife Sonam arrested as Meghalaya murder mystery deepens

The investigation into the mysterious death of Raja Raghuvanshi has led to multiple arrests, with the East Khasi Hills Police confirming significant breakthroughs. 

Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem stated that the first accused arrested is 19-year-old Akash Rajput from Lalitpur, followed by 22-year-old Vishal Singh Chauhan and 21-year-old Raj Singh Kushwaha, both from Indore. 

On Sunday, Sonam Raghuvanshi, Raja's wife, who had been missing since the incident, was located in Ghazipur. 

Another accused was arrested from the Sagar district, while a fifth individual has been detained at the Nandgarh police station. 

Also Read: Honeymoon in hills, murder in gorge: Why did Sonam Raghuvanshi kill Raja days after ‘I Do’?

SP Syiem revealed that the crime was committed on May 23, and the accused left Shillong shortly afterwards. 

At the time, the police were unaware that it was a case of murder and were investigating it as a missing persons case. Raja’s body was recovered on June 2, leading to the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT). In just seven days, the SIT collected critical evidence and identified the suspects. 

Preliminary findings suggest that the crime was carried out by Raj Kushwaha with Sonam’s involvement. SP Syiem added that Sonam and the others had been underground until police intensified operations, which led to her sudden reappearance. 

The police believe that once all the accused are in custody, the motive and sequence of events behind the murder will become clear.