Sonam Raghuvanshi on Wednesday confessed to being involved in the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in Meghalaya last month, CNN-News18 reported citing sources.
Sonam admitted to carrying out the murder during questioning by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). Officials now plan to record Sonam’s formal statement before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the report added.
As per the report, the police were also preparing to videotape Sonam’s confession, which could play a crucial role in the prosecution’s case going forward.
According to The Times of India, investigators believe the conspiracy began shockingly soon after the wedding. Just six days into their marriage, Sonam returned to her parental home in Indore and reconnected with her alleged lover, Raj Kushwaha. It was there, police say, that the plan to kill Raja took shape.
By May 17, the murder plan was finalised at an Indore restaurant, with police telling NDTV this was likely a contract killing involving three hired assailants. Four days later, on May 21, the three hired killers - Akash, Anand and another accomplice - were already in Shillong, discreetly shadowing the newlyweds.
TOI cited the police as saying that Sonam played a key role in luring Raja to his death. She allegedly sent live location updates to the killers while pretending to take romantic photos with her husband. On May 23, she led Raja to a secluded forest area in East Khasi Hills. The killers first tried pushing him off a cliff, but when that failed, they used a machete, bought earlier in Guwahati, to hack him to death. Shockingly, investigators say Sonam stood nearby and watched as the attack unfolded.
NDTV reported that forensic teams recovered the blood-stained weapon along with several crucial pieces of evidence including a shirt from accused Akash containing Raja's blood, Sonam's raincoat with blood traces, the bloodied clothes worn by accused Anand at the time of his arrest and fingerprints found on both the murder weapon and Raja's personal belongings.
After the murder, Sonam embarked on what police call a deliberately confusing escape. She traveled 2,000 km by train before surfacing dazed at a Uttar Pradesh eatery on June 9. Initially, she claimed memory loss and refused to cooperate with doctors. But police say her actions suggest a carefully planned escape. She took trains, avoiding direct routes and steered clear of CCTV cameras where possible. Investigators still managed to track her getting off a Guwahati-Patna train.
At a Ghazipur shelter, staff told TOI she showed "no grief, no tears, just sleep" while claiming memory loss - though phone records contradict this.
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