Indore Couple Mystery Deepens: A Honeymoon Murder, Then Wife’s Surrender
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Indore Couple Mystery Deepens: A Honeymoon Murder, Then Wife’s Surrender
Raja, 29, and Sonam Raghuvanshi, 24, went missing during their honeymoon in Meghalaya. Raja’s decomposed body was found in a gorge on June 2. Sonam was found, unwell, and accused of hiring contract killers to eliminate her husband. Her family feared she could be kidnapped. The case has been taken up by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) The couple were married in Indore on May 11 and were staying at a Shillong hotel when they went missing on May 21. The couple had rented a scooty to trek to Shipara Homestay in Nongriat village, where they were last seen together on May 23. They had told the hotel manager that they would return by May 25 and would call if they needed a room. They were seen at the reception of the homestay on one of the videos in which they were apparently checking out before checking out. The video shows Raja apparently checking in before the couple apparently check out.
The Raghuvanshis from Indore were on honeymoon in Meghalaya when they disappeared. An intense search operation followed in the state’s lush peaks and serene mountains. A week later, Raja Raghuvanshi’s decomposed body was found in a gorge in East Khali Hills. But there was no trace of Sonam Raghuvanshi. Her family feared she could be kidnapped. A twist came days later. Sonam was found, unwell, and accused of hiring contract killers to eliminate her husband. Here’s a timeline of the chilling murder mystery that gripped the headlines for weeks:
May 21
Raja, 29, and Sonam Raghuvanshi, 24, were married on May 11. On May 20, they had left for their honeymoon. They checked in at the Balaji Guest House in Shillong around 6 pm on May 21.
May 22
The couple went out in the morning and rented a two-wheeler from Keating Road. They returned and checked out. They left with two luggage bags, informing the manager that they would return by May 25 and would call if they needed a room.
They set out for Sohra, a popular tourist spot in Cherrapunji, on the scooty. On the way, they stopped at Mawlakhiat village in the East Khasi Hills. They parked their vehicle and hired a local guide to trek to Shipara Homestay in Nongriat village.
May 23
In the morning, the couple was seen together for the last time. They had checked out of Shipara Homestay and were reported missing thereafter. The last location picked up by their phone was Nongriat. From here, Sonam had made her last phone call to her mother-in-law. In a clip of their conversation that later emerged, she was apparently panting due to the “tough trek”.
The guide hired by the couple claimed they did not hire his services on their way back to Mawlakhiat. They had told him that they would manage their return themselves.
May 24
Search continued for the couple as they remained untraced for over 24 hours. The mystery deepened as the scooty that they had rented was found abandoned in Sohrarim village. But there was still no trace of either Raja or Sonam Raghuvanshi.
Search continued.
May 25
The abandoned scooty’s owner was found and he reported to the police station. It then emerged that the Indore couple had rented the vehicle from him.
May 26
The police began search operations in Sohrarim where their scooty was found.
June 2
A semi-decomposed body was spotted by a drone in a gorge near the Wei Sawdong Falls. The body was later identified as that of Raja Raghuvanshi’s.
June 3
Meghalaya Police declared that they have found the victim’s mobile and the “dao” (machete) that was used to murder him from near the spot where his body was found. “It is a clear case of homicide. No doubt he was murdered,” said Vivek Syiem, East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police (SP).
June 5
Blurry CCTV footage emerges from a Shillong hotel where the couple had stayed on May 22.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma asserted that his government would not leave any stone unturned to ensure justice in the tourist’s murder. He also assured the couple’s family that they are trying to find Sonam, who was still untraceable.
June 6
Sonam had remained untraced for three days after her husband’s body was found in the gorge. This raised fear among her relatives. Her brother, Govind Raghuvansh, said he believes she is alive and has been kidnapped. He also requested that the case be taken up by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
June 8
New footage emerged showing the couple shortly before they went missing. They were seen arriving at the homestay on their scooty in one of the videos. Another showed Raja at the reception of the homestay, apparently before checking out.
The climax came in the night.
Sonam arrived in Ghazipur at night and dialled her brother, after which the police reached the spot and took her away, her father said.
UP Police said they found her with a mild fever at the Kashi Dhaba in Nandganj, while Meghalaya police claimed she surrendered under pressure. She was later arrested along with three others.
Sonam will be handed over to Indore Police as soon as they reach Ghazipur, said UP Director General of Police (DGP) Rajiv Krishna, asserting that she won’t be questioned by the UP cops.
Meghalaya police had a different version.
Accusing Sonam of orchestrating her husband’s murder, Meghalaya Police said she surrendered at the Nandganj police station and was subsequently arrested.
She surrendered under pressure and will be brought back to Meghalaya, said Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dalton P Marak, while one accused remains on the run.
Sonam’s father refuses to believe that she had murdered her husband and claims that Meghalaya police are making up stories.
Honeymoon Murder Live Updates: Wife Surrenders, She Hired Men To Murder Husband In Meghalaya
Raja Raghuvanshi, 27, and his wife Sonam, 25, went missing on May 23. Raja’s body was found in a gorge on June 2. Sonam was arrested this morning for the alleged murder of her husband. The couple married on May 11 and left for their honeymoon on May 20. They rented a scooty to go to tourist hotspot Sohra (Cherrapunji) on May 22. They hired a local guide to trek to Shipara Homestay at Nongriat village in the same district. The same day, they set out from Mawlakhiat and went missing.
The couple married on May 11 and left for their honeymoon on May 20. Here is what happened after that:
May 21, 6 pm: Shillong
The couple reached Balaji Guest House in Meghalaya’s capital Shillong and checked in.
May 22, morning: Shillong
In the morning, they went out on Keating Road, rented a scooty and returned to Balaji Guest House. They checked out without having breakfast. They told the manager they would return by May 25 and would call if they needed a room. From Shillong, they rode the scooty to the popular tourist hotspot Sohra (Cherrapunji), carrying two luggages.
May 22, evening: Mawlakhiat, East Khasi Hills district
The couple arrived at Mawlakhiat village in East Khasi Hills, and kept the scooty at a parking spot run by the local community for tourists. They hired a local guide to trek to Shipara Homestay at Nongriat village in the same district.
May 23, morning: Mawlakhiat, East Khasi Hills district
The couple checked out from Shipara Homestay and returned to Mawlakhiat village without the guide. The same day, they set out from Mawlakhiat and went missing thereafter. A search began in the surrounding areas.
May 24: Sohrarim
The headman of Sohrarim village in East Khasi Hills reported to the police that they found an abandoned scooty at their village.
May 25: Sohrarim
The police traced the scooty owner, who came to Sohra police station and confirmed that a couple from Madhya Pradesh’s Indore – Raja Raghuvanshi, 27, and Sonam, 25 – rented the two-wheeler.
May 26: Sohrarim
A search began in this area too.
June 2: Wei Sawdong Falls
A police drone spotted a body in a gorge below Wei Sawdong Falls. The semi-decomposed body was retrieved and identified as that of Raja Raghuvanshi by his family.
June 4: Raincoat Found
Meghalaya Police found a raincoat with stains. The police said they are checking if the raincoat matches the one worn by Sonam in available video footage.