What Led to the Honeymoon Murder Case? Sonam and Four Others in Police Custody

Shillong, June 11 (NationPress) A Meghalaya court has placed all five individuals implicated in the Meghalaya honeymoon murder case, including the victim's spouse Sonam Raghuvanshi, in police custody for a duration of eight days.

The accused were brought before the district and session court in Shillong under tight security measures on Wednesday, ten days following the discovery of Sonam’s husband, Raja Raghuvanshi's body.

A police representative indicated that after fulfilling numerous medical and legal prerequisites, the accused were presented to the court with a request for a further eight days in custody for deeper interrogation and investigation.

Sonam, aged 24, the primary suspect, arrived in Shillong late on Tuesday night. Alongside her were four other accused: Raj Singh Kushwaha, 21, her alleged lover and the alleged mastermind, along with Anand Singh Kurmi, 23, Akash Rajput, 19, and Vishal Singh Chauhan, 22, who were also escorted to Meghalaya's capital on Wednesday.

The police confirmed that all five accused, including Sonam, underwent medical examinations at hospitals in Shillong.

Deputy Inspector General of Eastern Range, Davis N.R. Marak, stated: "To date, all have more or less confessed to their involvement in the crime during interrogation."

"There has yet to be a proper cross-examination. Post-court directive, we will commence questioning in police custody," Marak informed IANS.

"Currently, they are blaming one another. Only through rigorous questioning can we identify the true mastermind and clarify the sequence of events," he added.

Sonam was apprehended on suspicion of orchestrating her husband’s murder during their honeymoon in the scenic regions of Sohra-Cherrapunji in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya.

After the discovery of her husband’s body, Sonam surrendered to the police in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh on June 7, subsequently transported by road to Patna, then flown to Kolkata, and finally to Guwahati. From Guwahati airport, she was driven to the Sadar police station in Shillong late on Tuesday night.

Vivek Syiem, Superintendent of Police for East Khasi Hills, disclosed that the Meghalaya Police previously secured transit remands for those arrested in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

Sonam and Raja Raghuvanshi had celebrated their marriage on May 11, just nine days prior to embarking on their honeymoon in the hilly terrains of Meghalaya. On May 23, the newlyweds vanished in the Sohra-Cherrapunji area, prompting an extensive search operation by Meghalaya Police, the National Disaster Response Force, local residents, and additional agencies. The murder came to light after locals discovered an abandoned motorcycle, rented by the couple from Shillong, in Sohrarim village along the Shillong-Sohra route.

On June 2, the shocking discovery of Raja’s body was made in a steep gorge beneath the Wei Sawdong parking lot at Riat Arliang in Sohra, sending reverberations of shock across the nation and turning the case on its head.

The Meghalaya Police established Special Investigation Teams and initiated ‘Operation Honeymoon’. Several teams traveled to Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, and with the assistance of local law enforcement, successfully apprehended the five suspects.

All five will now undergo further investigation by the Meghalaya Police.

As per the Meghalaya Police, Sonam, along with three accomplices, allegedly fled Sohra after committing the murder and boarded a train to Indore from Guwahati, situated approximately 100 km from Shillong. Following her stay at a rented location in Indore, Sonam escaped to Uttar Pradesh, as indicated by police reports.

Authorities suspect that Sonam and her co-accused intended to flee to Nepal, as Ghazipur is about 200 km away from the Nepalese border.

Earlier, East Khasi Hills SP Syiem mentioned that once the necessary legal processes are completed, all suspects would be taken to the crime scene within a day or two for a reconstruction of the events.