Indore tourist killed by men hired by wife during honeymoon in Meghalaya, 4 arrested
Shillong/ Lucknow: Indore tourist Raja Raghuvanshi was allegedly killed by men, hired by his wife, during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, DGP I Nongrang said on Monday. Speaking to media reporters, she said the wife, Sonam, surrendered before the Nandganj Police Station in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, while three other assailants were arrested in overnight raids. Of the three arrested persons, two are from Madhya Pradesh’s Indore and one from Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh, she said.
Raghuvanshi and his wife went missing while vacationing in Sohra area in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district on May 23. His body was found in a gorge on June 2, while a search for his wife was underway. "One person was picked up from UP, and another two accused were apprehended from Indore by the SIT," the DGP said. "Sonam surrendered at the Nandganj police station in UP, and was subsequently arrested," she added. Nongrang said the arrested men had revealed that the wife had hired them to kill Raghuvanshi. "The operation is still continuing in Madhya Pradesh to catch some more persons involved in the crime," she said. Uttar Pradesh ADG Law and Order Amitabh Yash, in a statement, said, "Sonam Raghuvanshi, Govindnagar Khadsa, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, aged about 24 years, was found in the night at Kashi Dhaba situated on the Varanasi Ghazipur main road. She was sent to Sadar Hospital for initial treatment and then kept in One Stop Centre..."
A one-stop centre provides assistance to women in distress, both in private and public places. A statement, issued by the Meghalaya Police, said Sonam is currently in the custody of the Uttar Pradesh Police, and necessary legal protocols are being followed for her transit. “The arrests mark a decisive development in unravelling the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of Raja Raghuvanshi and the subsequent disappearance of his wife,” it said. The outcome of the investigation is the "result of round-the-clock efforts by the Meghalaya Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT), supported by State Disaster Response Force and National Disaster Response Force, local intelligence units and law enforcement agencies across multiple states", the statement said.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma congratulated the state police for cracking the case that had shocked the nation. "Within 7 days, a major breakthrough has been achieved by the #meghalayapolice in the Raja murder case... 3 assailants who are from Madhya Pradesh have been arrested, female has surrendered and operation still on to catch 1 more assailant… well done," he posted on X. A media agency had on Saturday reported that a tourist guide in Mawlakhiat, Albert Pde, had seen Raghuvanshi and his wife with three men on the day they went missing. Albert said that he had seen the couple, accompanied by three men, as they were climbing over 3,000 steps from Nongriat to Mawlakhiat around 10 am on May 23. Albert said he recognised the couple as he had offered his services to them on the previous day to see the famed living roots bridge in Nongriat, but they had politely refused and hired another guide.
He also said that all three men accompanying the couple were speaking in Hindi, indicating that they were not locals. The families of the husband and the wife had sought a CBI investigation. Raghuvanshi's body was found in a gorge near Weisawdong Falls. A gold ring and a neck chain were found missing from his body, further leading to suspicion that he was murdered. A day later, a bloodstained machete was found nearby, and two days later, a raincoat that was similar to the one used by the couple was found in Mawkma village, halfway between Sohrarim and the gorge where Raghuvanshi's body was found. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Saturday said he has requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah to order a CBI probe into the case.
On Friday, Sonam's family urged the Centre to hand over the case to the CBI, expressing dissatisfaction with the probe of the Meghalaya Police. "My daughter has been abducted and is still in the clutches of her captors. Meghalaya Police are not investigating the matter properly. They have been negligent right from the beginning. I have been seeking the deployment of the Army since the day they went missing. If it was done in time, they would have been found safely," Sonam's father, Devi Singh Raghuvanshi, told media. After their marriage on May 11, the couple left for Meghalaya on May 20 for their honeymoon. They arrived at Mawlakhiat village on May 22 on a rented scooter. On May 24, their scooter was found abandoned at a cafe along the road from Shillong to Sohra, following which the search for them began. A special investigation team (SIT) headed by an SP and assisted by four DSPs was probing the matter.
