Shillong to Ghazipur - Did Sonam Raghuwanshi travel 1,162 km alone? 3 big questions

ADG (Law & Order) Amitabh Yash

The wife of murdered businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, Sonam, has been located in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh - 17 days after her husband was killed during their honeymoon in Shillong, Meghalaya. However, her sudden reappearance has left investigators grappling with unanswered questions. In her first reaction after she reappeared, she claimed that she was abducted and is not an accused in the murder.

ADG Law and Order Amitabh Yash told the media that Sonam contacted her family in Indore late on Sunday night (June 9) from a roadside dhaba in Ghazipur’s Nandganj area. Using the dhaba owner’s phone, she made a video call to her brother, Govind, revealing she was alive. Govind immediately alerted Raja’s elder brother, Vipin Raghuvanshi and the Shillong Police.

The three big unanswered questions

- The 1,162-km journey: Shillong to Ghazipur is a gruelling 1,162 km with no direct train links. Even by road, non-stop travel would take roughly 25 hours. How Sonam made the trip - alone or with help - remains unclear.

- Why Ghazipur? Sonam is from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, raising questions about her choice to surface in a small Uttar Pradesh town. Did she have local connections or assurances of safety?

- Accomplices? Police are probing whether she had assistance. Vipin Raghuvanshi told CNN-News18 that three others were arrested in MP but stressed, “Only Sonam can confirm how she travelled from Meghalaya to UP.”

After her call, Ghazipur Police took Sonam into custody. A medical examination was reportedly conducted and she awaits transit remand to Shillong for further interrogation.

Raja Raghuvanshi was murdered shortly after their wedding, turning their honeymoon into a high-profile crime case spanning three states - Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. With Sonam’s custody, investigators hope for breakthroughs - but for now, the mystery of her 17-day disappearance and sudden reappearance remains unresolved.