What started as a romantic honeymoon for newlyweds Raja Raghuvanshi and Sonam Raghuvanshi from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, turned into a chilling murder investigation that stunned two states. The Meghalaya Police unraveled the sensational case after a critical error led to the arrest of Sonam — the prime accused.
The couple married on May 11, 2025, and began their honeymoon on May 20, initially planning to visit Kashmir but shifting plans to Meghalaya due to security concerns. On May 22, they reached Mawlakhiyat village and later visited Nongriat, spending the night at a homestay. They checked out on May 23, but contact with their families was lost thereafter.
On May 24, their scooter was found abandoned near a café on the Shillong-Sohra road, prompting a police search. Despite heavy rains in Sohra, the search continued, and on June 2, Raja’s decomposed body was discovered in a gorge near Wei Sawdong waterfall. A tattoo on his hand confirmed his identity. A post-mortem revealed two sharp blows to the head, confirming murder.
On June 4, police recovered critical evidence — a woman’s white shirt, a medicine strip, a damaged phone screen, and a smartwatch — strengthening the homicide case.
Indore ACP Rajesh Dandotiya revealed that Sonam was in a relationship with Raj Kushwaha, who planned Raja’s murder just a week after the wedding. Kushwaha allegedly hired Vishal Chauhan, Anand Kumar, and Akash Rajput to carry out the killing.
Police say Sonam convinced her husband to honeymoon in Meghalaya to execute the plan. However, her plan fell apart due to a single mistake.
According to a senior Meghalaya officer, the murder weapon — a machete not commonly used in the region — raised suspicion. This led to a deep dive into call records, revealing Sonam’s contact with one of the alleged killers shortly before the murder. Her last known location was also near the accused.
The breakthrough came when Sonam, while hiding in Ghazipur, asked a dhaba worker for a phone to call her parents. That single action enabled the Madhya Pradesh Police to trace her, prompting a tip-off to Uttar Pradesh Police. She was arrested from ‘Kashi Dhaba’ on the Varanasi-Ghazipur road, taken to Sadar Hospital, and then to a one-stop centre.
Though she was caught at the eatery, police said she formally surrendered at Nandganj police station. On Monday at 6:30 pm, a Meghalaya Police team took her into custody.
