Raja Raghuvanshi murder case gets stranger: Fake cop walks into family home, arrested

Police later confirmed Lal had a history of impersonating officers.

The May killing of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, allegedly plotted by his wife Sonam and carried out during their Meghalaya honeymoon, has gripped the city for months. Relatives, police personnel, and journalists have repeatedly visited the family’s home, keeping the case in constant public glare.

Now, another bizarre twist has surfaced, a man impersonating a police officer tried to befriend Raja’s grieving family, only to be unmasked within hours.

The suspicious condolence call

On August 14, a man dressed in a railway police uniform appeared at the Raghuvanshi home, introducing himself as a Station House Officer from Delhi who had come to pay respects. He told the family he had met Raja at Ujjain’s Mahakal Temple in 2021 during the Covid lockdown.

But there was one problem: Raja had never left home during that period. The slip planted the first seed of doubt in the family’s mind.

Costume, ID card, and a crumbling story

According to a report by Indian Express, the man, later identified as Bajrang Lal from Rajasthan, was equipped with a full kit:

A fake three-star insignia

An RPF badge

Regulation red police shoes

An ID card he tried to pass off as genuine

Initially, the story seemed plausible. But when the family asked for his phone number, Lal claimed he “couldn’t remember”.

“Using information from social media about my brother Raja’s murder, he came to my house to mislead me and my family. My brother never mentioned knowing any railway police TI,” Raja’s brother Sachin told the police.

From condolence to confession

As the inconsistencies piled up, Lal grew nervous. He shifted his explanation, saying he had only come to “share the family’s grief”. When he tried to leave, Raja’s brother Sachin called friends for help, and the man was detained until the police arrived.

Police later confirmed Lal had a history of impersonating officers. “This is not his first time. He had researched the murder case and tried to dupe the family. He has been arrested and booked,” a senior officer told Indian Express.

The murder case that sparked it all

The murder itself remains one of the most sensational crimes of the year. Raja was killed on May 23 near Wei Sawdong Falls, Meghalaya, during his honeymoon. Investigators allege his wife Sonam conspired with her lover, Raj Kushwaha, and three hired men to carry out the attack.

The plan reportedly began even before their marriage: a machete was bought online, and several failed attempts were made before the fatal assault. Raja’s decomposed body was recovered on June 2. All five accused are currently in judicial custody.