Honeymoon murder: Sonam to be produced in Shillong court, police reveal shocking details

Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the shocking murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, was brought to Shillong under tight security and is set to be produced in court on Wednesday. 

She is currently on a three-day transit remand with the Meghalaya Police.

Raghuvanshi, who surrendered before police in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur on June 7, was taken to Patna by road, then flown to Kolkata and onward to Guwahati.

From Guwahati airport, she was discreetly taken out through the cargo gate and transported to the Sadar police station in Shillong, where she spent the night after a mandatory medical examination at Ganesh Das Hospital.

East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police, Vivek Syiem, stated that the Meghalaya Police obtained six days of transit remand for the accused arrested in Madhya Pradesh and three days for those arrested in Uttar Pradesh.

“All accused are being brought to Shillong separately and will be produced in court,” he added.

Four other accused – Raj Kushwaha, Sonam’s alleged lover and the mastermind, along with Anand Kurmi, Akash Rajput, and Vishal Singh Chauhan – have also been brought to the Meghalaya capital. They will remain in custody until their court appearance.

Sonam offered ₹20 lakh to kill husband

According to Meghalaya Police, the accused have confessed that Sonam Raghuvanshi was involved in the murder case of her husband.

ACP of Indore Crime Branch told Hindustan Times that all four accused Vishal Chauhan, Raj Kushwaha, Anand Kurmi, and Akash Rajput  have admitted to the crime and testified against Sonam Raghuvanshi.

Reports suggest that Sonam watched her husband die after he was attacked. Some sources even claim she had initially planned to push him off a cliff if the gunmen failed to execute the killing.

Further investigations revealed that Sonam remained in contact with Raj Kushwaha, her alleged boyfriend, even after marrying the victim, Raja.

One of the accused Raj claimed that Sonam had offered ₹20 lakh to them in exchange for killing her husband.

Raj reportedly also told the police that he did not want to support Sonam in the plan. He claimed to have cancelled his trip to Meghalaya and instructed the others not to proceed either. However, three of the men allegedly went ahead with the plan. At the last moment, when they initially refused to go through with the murder, Sonam allegedly offered ₹15 lakh on the spot to convince them.

These revelations were shared by police officials with Hindustan Times, and authorities are currently verifying the statements and continuing the investigation.

The honeymoon murder

Sonam and Raja had tied the knot on May 11. Just nine days later, on May 20, they departed for their honeymoon in Meghalaya with a one-way ticket. By May 23, the newlyweds had gone missing.

A search operation ensued, and on June 4, Raja’s body was discovered in a deep gorge, sending shockwaves across the country.

Following days of investigation, Sonam was apprehended, marking a major breakthrough in what the police have termed ‘Operation Honeymoon’ -- a 20-member special operation launched to hunt down the suspects involved in the grisly killing.

All five accused will now face further investigation under the jurisdiction of the Meghalaya Police.

(With inputs from syndicated feed)