Raja and Sonam Raghuvanshi, who were married on May 11, went missing during their honeymoon trip to Meghalaya. The couple’s family in Indore reported them missing on May 23 after failing to establish contact.
Tragically, Raja’s body was discovered on June 2 in a gorge near Sohra (Cherrapunji), Meghalaya. Following initial investigations, police have reclassified the case from a missing persons report to a murder investigation, with Sonam Raghuvanshi identified as the prime suspect.
A week after Raja’s body was found, Sonam was located near a roadside dhaba along the Varanasi-Ghazipur highway, where she surrendered to the authorities. Along with her, Raj Kushwaha—her alleged lover—and three other accomplices were arrested by police from Meghalaya and Indore.
Sonam and Raj are accused of plotting Raja Raghuvanshi’s murder, while the other three—Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Anand—have been charged with executing the plan in Meghalaya.
Speaking to reporters on June 17, East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said the police now have a “clear picture” of the crime following a detailed reconstruction of the scene.
According to the Meghalaya Police SIT investigation, one of the machetes used in Raja Raghuvanshi’s murder has been recovered.
“A sharp weapon purchased by the accused from Guwahati to carry out the murder has been recovered,” a senior police official told ANI. The search for the second weapon is ongoing.
“The SIT visited multiple locations to reconstruct the sequence of events,” Superintendent Syiem told. “We began at the parking lot where the accused had parked their two-wheelers, then moved to the viewpoint to determine who was standing where just before the murder.”
He explained, “There were three blows: the first by Vishal, the second by Anand, and the final strike by Akash. We have confirmed that one machete is still missing. The accused demonstrated how they discarded the weapon, and the SDRF is currently searching for the second machete.”
Syiem added that Vishal delivered the initial fatal blow to Raja, during which Sonam moved away, and Raja’s body was subsequently thrown into the gorge.
Five people, including Sonam Raghuvanshi, have been arrested in connection with the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi. The other four accused—Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, Raj Singh Kushwaha, and Anand—are charged with aiding and executing the killing.
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