Sonam surrendered before the police when she was found in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur.
New Delhi:
Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, was brought to Shillong overnight. She is in a three-day transit remand with the Meghalaya Police.
Here are the top updates on honeymoon murder case:
- Sonam Raghuvanshi was taken to Bihar's Patna last evening via road from Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur - where she had surrendered before the police. She was then flown from Patna to Kolkata and was put on a flight to Guwahati at 9:20 pm. The murder accused was brought out of the airport by the Meghalaya police through the cargo gate and taken to the Sadar police station in Shillong.
- The Meghalaya police took Sonam to the Ganesh Das hospital for her medical test and brought her back to the police station, where she spent the night.
- The other four accused - Raj Kushwaha (Sonam's alleged lover and the mastermind of the murder), Anand Kurmi, Akash Rajput, and Vishal Singh Chauhan - have also been taken to Shillong separately. They will also be kept in jail and produced before the local court.
- As the Meghalaya Police team was entering the Indore airport with the four accused, a passenger waiting with his luggage slapped one of the killers, apparently expressing his anger over the crime that has shocked the nation. As the accused were wearing masks, it was not known who among the four accused was slapped.
- Raja Raghuvanshi and Sonam got married on May 11. Nine days later, they left for their honeymoon in Meghalaya on May 20 - with a one-way ticket in hand. The couple roamed around the breathtaking hills for three days before going "missing". On May 23, Sonam took Raja to a hilly area on the pretext of a photoshoot. The three accused also followed them and initially spoke to Raja in Hindi. Eventually, Sonam pretended to be tired and started walking much behind her husband and the killers. As the five people reached a deserted place, Sonam shouted "kill him" - to the killers, sources said.
- Sonam's lover Raj was not involved in the actual murder. He did not travel to Meghalaya, but Shillong Police sources suggested he did the planning behind the scenes and was in touch with Sonam. It is alleged that Sonam had promised Rs 20 lakh to the "contract killers" - described as Raj's friends - to kill Raja.
- Officials said that the Meghalaya Police knew on June 3, a day after they found the body of Raja Raghuvanshi in a gorge, that Sonam was involved in the murder. They then formed a 20-member core team to find the accused in an operation that they codenamed 'Operation Honeymoon'.
- On the night of June 7, officials said they found Sonam in an unconscious state at a 'dhaba' in Ghazipur. She was taken to the Ghazipur Medical College for treatment, where she surrendered before the police, and was subsequently arrested. Police also arrested the three "contract killers" in overnight raids.
- The family of Raja Raghuvanshi, the Indore-based businessman who was found dead during his honeymoon in Meghalaya, has demanded justice after the victim's wife surrendered to killing him. Raja's brother, Sachin, said that Sonam being found alive raises many questions. The Indore-based businessman's sister slammed Sonam, saying she could have "eloped if she liked someone else". "My brother had vowed to be with Sonam Raghuvanshi for seven lives, but she couldn't stay with him for even seven days. What did he do that you killed him," she said.
- Sources said that Sonam's family knew she did not want to marry Raja. The murder accused's mother was also aware of her relationship with Raj, who was an employee of her family-run business.
