Meghalaya honeymoon murder: 2 arrested on evidence tampering charges were not named in fresh chargesheet, says police

Sonam Raghuvanshi and Raja Raghuvanshi

• Two accused dropped from chargesheet after probe found no evidence tampering
• Prime accused Sonam Raghuvanshi remains in custody after bail plea rejected
• Raja Raghuvanshi was murdered in Meghalaya in May 2023 during a holiday trip

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Two persons, arrested for allegedly tampering with evidence in the murder of Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi in Meghalaya's Sohra last year, were not included in a fresh chargesheet as the allegation was not substantiated during a thorough investigation, police said on Tuesday. The two accused - Balbir Ahirbar and Lokendra Singh Tomar - who were arrested on suspicion of destroying evidence related to the murder case, are currently out on bail, East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said.

The arrests were made based on suspicion, but the findings of the investigation did not support the allegation.

"The final report found that they had no role whatsoever, which led to their dismissal in the case, and hence their names were not included in the chargesheet," Syiem told PTI.

He said the police have filed a second chargesheet in the case, in which only one of the three persons earlier arrested for alleged tampering with evidence has been named.

The court is expected to take up the matter for hearing shortly, the police said.

Prime accused and Raja's wife Sonam Raghuvanshi has been in judicial custody, and a court has recently rejected her bail plea, the officer said.

Raja Raghuvanshi, a resident of Madhya Pradesh, was murdered in a secluded area near Wei Sawdong Falls in the Sohra region of Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district in May last year.

His decomposed body was recovered from a deep gorge on June 2 after a thorough search.

The police had said Raja and Sonam, then the newly married couple, had travelled to Meghalaya for a "honeymoon-cum-holiday trip".

Sonam was accused of plotting and executing the murder before fleeing the state.

Police sources had indicated that the motive behind the murder was linked to a love triangle and disputes involving financial matters.

The accused allegedly attempted to destroy evidence and dispose of the body to conceal the crime.