Sonam Promised ₹20 Lakh to Kill Husband, Meghalaya Police to Recreate Honeymoon Murder Scene

Shillong: The investigation into the murder of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi has now reached a crucial stage, with Meghalaya Police preparing to take accused Sonam Raghuvanshi and three others to the crime spot to reconstruct the sequence of events. 

₹15,000 Paid on Spot, ₹20 Lakh Promised Later

Police have now revealed that Sonam allegedly offered ₹20 lakh to kill her husband during their honeymoon. Police sources said Sonam had given ₹15,000 in cash to the killers on the spot money believed to have been taken directly from her husband’s wallet. She also allegedly promised to pay ₹20 lakh after the murder was done.

Sonam Reaches Shillong After Surrender, Police to Recreate Crime Scene 

As all the accused have now been brought to Meghalaya, including Sonam Raghuvanshi, she was brought to Shillong on Tuesday night under tight security after surrendering on the Varanasi-Ghazipur Highway in Uttar Pradesh on June 8.

She was taken straight to Shillong Sadar Police Station and later brought to Ganesh Das Hospital for a medical examination.

As per multiple media reports, police officials said that Sonam did not speak much during the journey from Ghazipur. She was flown from Patna to Kolkata, then to Guwahati, and finally brought to Shillong by road.

Police have obtained a three-day transit remand for her and are continuing their investigation.

Police are now planning to take all the accused back to the site near the waterfall in Sohra, East Khasi Hills, where Raja’s body was recovered from a gorge on June 2.

According to the FIR, Raja was killed using a dao (a sharp local machete), and his wallet and valuables were taken.

Plot Planned Before Wedding, Say Police

The investigation also found that Sonam and her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha had started planning the murder even before her wedding in May. Though Kushwaha did not travel to Meghalaya, officials said he played a central role in planning the murder and remained in contact with Sonam over the phone throughout the couple's trip.

Police believe the accused posed as tourists and tracked the newlyweds from Guwahati to Shillong. They even stayed close to the hotel where Raja and Sonam were lodged, said Rajesh Dandotiya, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Indore.

Sonam Fled to Indore, Then Hid in UP

According to police, Sonam boarded a train from Guwahati on May 24, the day after the murder, and returned to Indore. There, she stayed in a flat reportedly arranged by Kushwaha. The next day, a cab was arranged to shift her to a hideout in Uttar Pradesh, where she remained underground for over two weeks.

On Tuesday, Shillong Police and the Indore Crime Branch carried out a search at the home of Vishal Singh Chauhan, one of the four arrested accused. Officers recovered the clothes he was allegedly wearing on the day of the murder in Meghalaya.