Raj Kushwaha's mother said her son is innocent and is being falsely accused.
Raj Kushwaha, alleged lover of Sonam Raghuvanshi and a co-accused in Indore man Raja Raghuvanshi's murder case, is innocent and is being falsely accused, claimed his mother in an interview. Raj Kushwaha is one of the four people arrested in the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi, whose body was found in a gorge on June 2, after he and Sonam went missing on May 23, during their honeymoon in Meghalaya.
The police have arrested five people in the honeymoon murder case - Vishal Chauhan, Anand Kumri, Akash Rajput, Raj Kushwaha and Sonam, wife of Raja Raghuvanshi, who surrendered on Monday in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur.
Speaking to the news agency ANI, Raj's mother said, "My son can never do something like this. He is just 20... He is my only son... He used to work at Sonam's brother's factory. She also used to work there and both would interact. He is being falsely accused."
Sharing an example of what she said is her son's innocence and kindness, the woman narrated an incident and said, "My son would give away his footwear if he saw someone walking barefoot. I would scold him. I would tell him I won't give you food, but he would still donate."
Raj's mother requested that her son be proven innocent.
"I request the government to prove him innocent. He is innocent," she said while sobbing.
Raj Kushwaha's sister also said her brother is innocent and cannot commit murder. She also claimed that Raj was in the city, not Shillong. Raj's little sister urged checking the office records to verify he was here.
"Vicky and Raj are both my brothers. They can never do something like this. My brother Raj did not go anywhere. You can ask the people at his office," she said.
With folded hands, Raj's sister pleaded her brother be saved. "My only demand is that my brother should be released. He is being falsely accused. My brother is innocent."
According to Raj's sister, he returned home on Sunday at 6. He changed into new clothes and shoes since he had to visit a temple.
Raj was Sonam's employee and used to work at a factory. When asked if the family knew about Raj, Vipul Raghuvanshi, Raja Raghuvanshi's brother, said he had heard about Raj but didn't think anything was going on between his sister-in-law Sonam and Raj.
"I don't know how long she knew Raj. But it is possible she knew him for a long time. He is an employee in her company and has been working there for 4-5 years. And I had heard of him and complaints about him -- that he is not working properly," he said in conversation with NDTV.
Vipul Raghuvanshi said he had heard Sonam often complain about Raj and scold him for a shabby job.
"She used to scold him a lot -- saying 'You are not working properly, not focusing on your job, did you come here depending on us' - that kind of stuff. Because I heard this, I never thought anything like this could happen. The other names that have come up -- I do not know them at all," he added.
Honeymoon Murder Timeline
Raja, an Indore-based businessman, and Sonam got married on May 11 and left for their honeymoon in Meghalaya on May 20. A day later, they were in the capital city of Shillong. On May 23, after checking out from a homestay, the two reportedly went missing, and their rented vehicle was found abandoned in a village nearby.
After days of search, Raja's body was found in a gorge on June 2. Police also found a murder weapon, a machete, used to kill Raja. Two days later, Police found a stained raincoat, much bigger, but it raised hopes of finding the 'missing' wife.
Sonam remained untraceable until June 8, when she called her brother. She then confessed to killing her husband and surrendered in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur.
