Exactly one month after her marriage to 29-year-old Raja Raghuvanshi, Sonam Raghuvanshi, 24, has confessed to her role in his murder during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, sources have told NDTV. The confession, according to sources, was made during police interrogation.
Under Indian law, confessions made to police officers are not admissible in court. For any such statement to hold evidentiary value, it must be recorded before a magistrate.
The confession follows the arrest of Sonam and her alleged boyfriend, Raj Kushwaha, earlier this week. Kushwaha, 21, worked at Sonam's family business and is alleged to have maintained a romantic relationship with her both before and after her marriage to Raja.
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Raja and Sonam got married on May 11 in Indore. Ten days later, they departed for their honeymoon in Meghalaya. By May 23, both had gone missing. Raja's body was discovered on 2 June in a gorge in East Khasi Hills. Sonam surfaced in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur on 8 June, claiming to be unwell. She surrendered to local police and was placed under arrest.
Timeline and Sequence of Events
May 11: Marriage in Indore
May 21: Couple arrives in Shillong; checks into Balaji Guest House
May 22: Scooty rented from Keating Road; couple travels to Sohra (Cherrapunji)
May 23: Last seen alive by local guide during trek near Nongriat village
May 24: Scooty found abandoned in Sohrarim
June 2: Decomposed body of Raja recovered from gorge near Weisawdong Falls
June 7-8: Arrests made; Sonam surrenders
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According to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case, three hired men, Akash, Anand, and Vikash, travelled from Indore to Shillong in phases to avoid detection. CCTV footage, train tickets, and Aadhaar card photocopies helped confirm their identities and movements.
Police say the killers joined the couple on a trek on May 23, posing as fellow tourists. A local guide, Albert Pde, told investigators he offered to assist the group but was declined. He recalled the group spoke in Hindi and chose a more remote, rugged path away from the tourist-heavy Double Decker Living Root Bridge.
The Killing
According to the police, Sonam deliberately lagged behind during the trek and gave the cue by shouting "kill him". That was when one of the three accused allegedly struck Raja with a sharp weapon. The others joined in, attacking his head and torso. Raja's body was dragged to a gorge and pushed over.
READ | How Raja Raghuvanshi Was Killed In 9-Hour Operation During Honeymoon
Sonam allegedly assisted in hiding the body and disposing of incriminating evidence.
From there, she left the scene, took a taxi to Shillong, and is believed to have travelled by train to Indore via Guwahati. The three killers split up and escaped via Guwahati, eventually returning to Madhya Pradesh.
