Meghalaya Honeymoon Murder: All 5 Accused, Including Wife, Sent to Judicial Custody; Crime Scene Reconstructed

In the ongoing investigation into the murder of Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, who was killed while on his honeymoon in Meghalaya, the district and sessions court has remanded all five accused, including his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi, to judicial custody.

Superintendent of Police (SP) East Khasi Hills, Vivek Syiem, told ANI that Raj Singh Kushwaha and Sonam Raghuvanshi have been sent to 13-day judicial custody. Assistant Public Prosecutor Tushar Chanda confirmed that the court ordered the remand after police chose not to seek further custody.

Earlier, on Thursday, the remaining three accused — Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Anand — were sent to 14-day judicial custody by the same court.

The arrests were made after Raja Raghuvanshi’s body was discovered in a gorge near Sohra (Cherrapunji) on June 2. The couple had gone missing during their honeymoon trip, and Sonam was later found near a roadside dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur highway.

As part of the investigation, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Meghalaya Police reconstructed the crime scene in Sohra in the presence of Sonam and three other accused. SP Vivek Syiem said the reconstruction provided investigators with a “very clear picture” of how the murder unfolded.

According to the SP, the accused detailed their movements on the day of the crime, starting from a parking lot where they left their vehicles to the viewpoint near the murder site. The sequence of attack was also revealed: Vishal delivered the first blow, followed by Anand, and finally Akash. The police said one machete used in the crime is yet to be recovered, and search operations by SDRF are underway.

Syiem further disclosed that Sonam and Vishal destroyed Raja’s mobile phone after the murder. “Sonam first damaged the phone, and then Vishal further destroyed it. The entire sequence of events, including their escape route, has now been established,” he said.

Raja Raghuvanshi was allegedly killed by the group in a premeditated conspiracy, with Sonam reportedly stepping away from the scene after the first blow. His body was then thrown into the gorge by the three male accused, police said.