Sonam Raghuvanshi, the Indore woman accused of plotting her husband’s murder during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, being brought for medical examination at a hospital, in Ghazipur. (PTI Photo)
Sonam Raghuvanshi, accused of killing her husband Raja Raghuvanshi in Meghalaya last month, and her partner and co-accused Raj Kushwaha are both denying that they planned the murder and trying to blame each other, investigators familiar with their questioning have told The Indian Express.
During interrogation of the other accused, the police were told that after one of the alleged hired killers, Vishal, hit Raja on the head, they threw the body down the gorge. “Sonam allegedly took her husband to the spot after telling him that she wanted to take a picture. The men claim they took her help in throwing the body. Then they travelled on a scooter together and dispersed,” said a senior officer.
On Wednesday, a district and sessions court in Meghalaya sent Sonam and four others to eight days in police custody after the police submitted that they needed to confront them with evidence and recreate the crime scene.
The accused are expected to be taken to Sohra in the next few days to recreate the scene of the crime.
SIT Chief Herbert Pyniaid Kharkongor told “We have to ask them many crucial details about the murder. We are yet to ascertain details of the money transactions, how the murder was planned and confront them with evidence.”
Family members of Raja Raghuvanshi cut out the picture of his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi from a poster of their marriage after she was accused of plotting his murder. (PTI Photo)
The police plan to question Sonam on the gold and other precious items she allegedly took on the honeymoon. “We recovered her mangalsutra and a toe ring from the hotel where they left their bags. We knew that something was amiss just days after the murder,” the officer said.
The police also have evidence in the form of the recovered murder weapon, bloody clothing, CCTV footage of the couple, and testimonies of multiple people, including a guide who saw the accused together.
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Another officer from the Meghalaya police said one area of focus for the investigators would be how they went to the incident site. “They chose a path which was not usually taken by villagers and tourists. It was a site of dispute between two clans. We have to ascertain how they did the recce,” the officer told The Indian Express.
Raja and Sonam had been reported missing last month during their honeymoon in Meghalaya. Earlier this month, Raja’s body was found, and the search for Sonam was stepped up. On Sunday night, police arrested Kushwaha for allegedly orchestrating Raja’s murder with Sonam’s help. Once he was caught, Sonam surrendered at a police station in Uttar Pradesh.
