‘Bhaiya, mujhe bacha lo’: Sonam Raghuwanshi’s desperate call to cousin before arrest

Sonam, who is now under arrest, is accused of orchestrating Raja’s murder during their honeymoon.

Days after the body of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi was discovered in a Meghalaya gorge, his wife, Sonam Raghuwanshi - initially reported missing - was found at a roadside eatery in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, at 1 am on Monday. Sonam, who is now under arrest, is accused of orchestrating Raja’s murder during their honeymoon. Four people, including her alleged boyfriend, are already in police custody in connection with the case.

Sonam was located after she made an emotional call to her cousin, reportedly pleading, “Bhaiya, mujhe bacha lo” (Brother, save me), according to her father Devi Singh. As per The Indian Express, he said that it was this call that alerted the family and led to police action. “She was asked to stay inside the store room of the dhaba. Govind (her cousin) then called the police and she was taken into custody,” Singh was quoted as saying.

After their marriage on May 11, the Raghuvanshi couple had left for Meghalaya on May 20 for their honeymoon. On June 2, Raja’s body was found in a gorge, while Sonam was untraceable until Monday. Investigators have since claimed she hired men to kill Raja. Among those arrested is Raj Kushwaha, believed to be Sonam’s boyfriend.

However, Sonam’s family has strongly denied these allegations. Her father insisted she could not have been involved in her husband's death and accused the Meghalaya Police of fabricating the case. “My daughter is innocent… The Meghalaya Police is lying,” Singh told reporters, adding that the couple had married with the full consent of both families after reviewing each other’s biodata.

He alleged that the state government had misled the public and announced plans to approach Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for a CBI inquiry. “Let the CBI inquiry begin, all officers at the police station (in Meghalaya) will be behind bars,” he said.

At the centre of Sonam’s resurfacing is Sahil Yadav, the owner of the dhaba where she appeared around 1 am, reportedly crying and disoriented. Speaking to IANS, Yadav said she asked to call her family, using his phone. “She said that her husband was killed while trying to protect her from a group of men who attempted to snatch her jewellery,” he said.

“She was crying so hard that she could barely speak,” Yadav recalled. She asked for water and I gave her the water. Since she couldn’t talk properly, I spoke to them as well. They requested that I contact the nearest police station to ensure her safety. She and her husband had gone to Meghalaya for their honeymoon and Raja was killed while trying to protect her from a group of men who attempted to snatch her jewellery,” he was quoted as saying by IANS.

Yadav added that Sonam was alone and seemed unsure of how she had travelled from Meghalaya to Uttar Pradesh.