Raja Raghuvanshi murder: Sonam’s escape trail mapped from Meghalaya to Ghazipur

Accused Sonam Raghuwanshi

Indore police have pieced together the alleged movements of Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime suspect in the murder of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, during their honeymoon in Meghalaya last month. Investigators claim she fled over 1,000 km to Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, after the killing, hiding there until her surrender on June 9, HT reported.

The case, initially treated as a missing couple’s report, took a grim turn when Raja’s body was discovered in a Meghalaya gorge on June 2. Sonam, who had vanished alongside him, was later linked to the murder after a guide reported seeing three men with the couple on May 23, the day Raja was killed.

HT cited Indore police as saying that Sonam conspired with her lover, Raj Kushwaha - an employee at her family’s plywood factory - to execute the murder. Kushwaha allegedly hired three men, including his cousin Vishal Chauhan, to carry out the crime.

“On May 16, Kushwaha discussed the plan with the accused at an Indore restaurant,” said an unnamed police officer, HT quoted. The trio then travelled to Meghalaya with Rs 50,000 and a mobile phone provided by Kushwaha, who stayed behind to avoid suspicion.

As per HT, after the murder, police said Sonam drove to Guwahati before boarding a train to Indore on May 27. The next day, she allegedly left for Kushwaha’s hometown, Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh, via Ghazipur. CCTV footage confirmed she stayed briefly at a Dewas Naka flat with Kushwaha before fleeing.

“She was hiding in Ghazipur since May 28 and was in constant touch with Raj and the other accused,” the officer added. Kushwaha and the alleged killers were detained on June 9, shortly before Sonam surrendered at a Ghazipur dhaba.

While Raja’s family accused Sonam’s relatives of complicity, Kushwaha’s sister denied any relationship between the two. She claimed that her brother was happy about Sonam’s marriage, quoted HT.

Raja’s brother, Vipin Raghuvanshi, demanded a wider probe: “If they knew about the affair of Sonam and Raj, why didn’t they sack him from the job? Why did Sonam go to Ghazipur, Raj Kushwaha’s hometown? Police should arrest all those who helped Sonam hide after the murder.”

Indore’s additional deputy commissioner of police, Rajesh Dandotiya, said investigators are examining the Dewas Naka flat and tracing financial transactions tied to the case.