Ghazipur: The Meghalaya Police on Monday said that Sonam Raghuvanshi, arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur in the murder case of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, in Meghalaya, surrendered under pressure. Three other accomplices have been arrested, while one remains at large.

In a shocking twist to the mysterious death of Indore-based Raja during his honeymoon in Meghalaya, police on Monday confirmed the arrest of his wife, Sonam, for allegedly orchestrating his murder by hiring contract killers.

Meghalaya police said Sonam, who was traced to Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur, surrendered under mounting pressure at Nandganj police station late on Sunday night.

“Sonam surrendered under pressure last night, bringing the total number of arrests in the case to four. One accused remains absconding. Sonam will be brought back to Meghalaya for court proceedings,” Meghalaya IGP Dalton P. Marak told IANS in a telephone conversation.

According to Uttar Pradesh ADG (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash, Sonam was found at the Kashi Dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur main road. She was sent to Sadar Hospital for initial medical treatment and is currently being kept at the One Stop Centre.

Meghalaya Director General of Police (DGP) Idashisha Nongrang stated that the investigation is ongoing, and the arrested individuals are being questioned for further leads.

Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad K. Sangma also acknowledged the breakthrough in the case.

Taking to X, he posted, “Within 7 days a major breakthrough has been achieved by the Meghalaya Police in the Raja murder case … 3 assailants who are from Madhya Pradesh have been arrested, female has surrendered and operation still on to catch 1 more assailant .. well done.”

The couple, Raja and Sonam, had arrived in Meghalaya for their honeymoon and were exploring various locations when they went missing on May 23.

Ten days later, Raja’s body was recovered from a deep gorge beneath the Weisawdong Parking Lot at Riat Arliang. A machete, suspected to be the murder weapon, was found nearby.

At the time, Sonam had also gone missing, prompting a multi-state search.

As the case unfolded, the families of Raja and Sonam had raised serious concerns about the investigation. They demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, alleging negligence by the Meghalaya police.

They pointed to CCTV footage and GPS data from a scooty which suggested the presence of three to four individuals with the couple, claims they said the local authorities failed to pursue.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav had also weighed in on the case, appealing to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to order a CBI inquiry to ensure justice.

(IANS)

Nandini Chiplunkar, has been duped of Rs 1.02 crores through a digital arrest scam. The scam involved fraudsters claiming to be from Mumbai’s Colaba Police and CBI, alleging that Ms Chiplunkar was involved in financial dealings with Naresh Goyal of Jet Airways and money laundering.

According to Additional DCP of Crime Branch, Rajesh Dandotiya, on April 27, Ms Chiplunkar received a call stating that her SIM would be deactivated. The fraudsters claimed that there were 267 FIRs against her and kept her under digital arrest for two days. They convinced her to deposit Rs 1 crore in a fake account in exchange for closing the case.

While speaking to ANI on Monday, DCP Dandotiya said, “On April 27th, Nandini, who retired as principal of Central School, received a call saying that her SIM was going to get deactivated…they said there was legal action being taken against her and there are 267 an FIRs against her…throughout the night she was kept on digital arrest…”

However, when Ms Chiplunkar went to the bank to break her fixed deposit of Rs 50 lakhs, the bank manager suspected something was amiss and informed the Crime Branch. The officials intervened, and Ms Chiplunkar was able to save her fixed deposit money.

“Next day they managed to convince her and she went to break her fixed deposit of Rs 50 lakhs… The bank manager realised that there is some trouble by looking at her face, he said that the server is down and asked her to come back next day and then the Bank Manager immediately informed me…later, I spoke to her and convinced that it was a fake call, and she was convinced…She switched off her phone. But, after two days, she started receiving calls again. We met her and explained to her that such digital arrest calls are fake…she lost Rs 1.02 crores, but because the bank was alert, she didn’t lose her fixed deposit money…”, DCP Dandotiya added.

The Crime Branch has taken Ms Chiplunkar’s complaint and is investigating the matter. No case has been filed yet, and the authorities are working to identify the accused.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)