‘Hang her if…’: Indore couple's family denies Sonam Raghuvanshi killed husband Raja
Raja Raghuvanshi's mother Uma said she cannot blame Sonam for her husband's murder right now. But she said that if Sonam is responsible in any way, she should be punished.
Honeymoon horror: Sonam Raghuvanshi's family denied on Monday police' allegation that she killed her husband Raj in Meghalaya. Police held Sonam from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh on Monday, days after her husband was found dead in a gorge in Meghalaya — where the couple had gone for their honeymoon. Raghuvanshi (29) and his wife Sonam (24) had gone missing on May 23.
After police arrested Sonam, her father Devi Singh said that his daughter is innocent. He also accused the Meghalaya police and government of "formulating" stories and "lying" from the beginning.
"...My daughter is innocent. I have trust in my daughter. She cannot do this (kill her husband)... They got married with the consent of both families," Sonam Raghuvanshi's father Devi Singh said.
'Meghalaya Police is lying'
Sonam's father claimed, “...These are all false allegations against my daughter. Police are accusing my child to save themselves. Police are also involved in this. I will send a notice to the Police.”
Singh further alleged the Meghalaya government has been lying from the beginning. He said, “The Meghalaya Police is lying. They did not do any inquiry. I am 100% sure that Meghalaya Police is involved in the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi...Meghalaya Police is trying to trap Sonam in this case.”
'Hang her if…'
Raja's family and Sonam's in-laws also defended her.
Raja Raghuvanshi's mother Uma said she had a good relationship with Sonam. "I cannot blame Sonam right now. First, those three men should be investigated, and then Sonam should be investigated. We had wholeheartedly accepted her...," the mother said.
But she told media that if Sonam is responsible in any way, she should be punished. Raja's mother said, "If Sonam is involved, she should be hanged..." She added that if Sonam has no involvement in the case, then she should not be accused.
Meanwhile, Vipin Raghuvanshi, brother of Raja Raghuvanshi, told ANI, "We will not agree that Sonam is the accused until and unless she confesses to this. Both [Raja and Sonam] were happy in their marriage. I never saw the two fighting."
He also said, “I just want to say that if Sonam is involved in this case, she should be punished...”
Meanwhile, Raja's another brother Sachin Raghuvanshi said Sonam will reveal herself what had happened. "If she is found involved, then we will demand strict action," he added.
The family members of both Raja Raghuvanshi and Sonam Raghuvanshi have been demanding a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) probe in the matter, citing bare to no response from the Meghalaya government.
'Sonam Raghuvanshi hired men to kill husband'
Meghalaya Director General of Police Idashisha Nongrang said on Monday morning that Raja Raghuvanshi was allegedly killed by men hired by his wife during their honeymoon in Meghalaya.
She told PTI that the wife, Sonam, surrendered before the police in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, while three other assailants were arrested in overnight raids.
Nongrang said three people were "arrested" in connection with the case of the missing Indore couple. "One person was arrested from Uttar Pradesh, two others from Madhya Pradesh and Sonam, the wife of the deceased, Raja Raghuvanshi, surrendered in Uttar Pradesh," Nongrang was quoted by ANI as saying.
According to PTI, Nongrang alleged that the arrested men had revealed that the wife had hired them to kill Raghuvanshi.
Sonam Raghuvanshi found at local dhaba
Sonam Raghuvanshi was found at Kashi Dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur main road in the intervening night of June 8 and June 9.
"She was sent to Sadar Hospital for initial treatment and then kept in the One Stop Centre in Ghazipur," said the ADG Law and Order, Uttar Pradesh, Amitabh Yash.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma posted on X about the "major breakthrough" in the Indore couple missing case.
He wrote on X, “Within 7 days, a major breakthrough has been achieved by the Meghalaya Police in the Raja murder case. 3 assailants who are from Madhya Pradesh have been arrested, a female has surrendered, and the operation is still on to catch one more assailant.”
Sonam called her family
The Uttar Pradesh Police said Sonam spoke to her family members around 2am-3am on June 9. The family then informed the Madhya Pradesh Police. "We got information from Madhya Pradesh Police that a woman, Sonam, is present at Kashi Dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur road. We reached the spot and recovered her," Ghazipur SP Iraj Raja said.
Meanwhile, Sonam's father said, "My daughter came to a dhaba in Ghazipur last night and she called her brother...Police went to the dhaba, and she was taken from there. I have not been able to speak to my daughter. Why will my daughter do such a thing (kill her husband)?"
"My daughter reached Ghazipur on her own," the father said.
Sonam was not 'mentally fine'
Sahil Yadav, owner of Kashi Dhaba, where UP Police found Sonam Raghuvanshi, told news agency ANI, "Sonam came here around 1 AM. She wanted my phone to call her family members, and I gave it to her. She started crying when she called her family."
"I took my phone from her and gave them the details about Sonam's location. She was not mentally fine. After some time, her brother called me and asked me to inform the local police. Police arrived here and took her around 2:30 AM. Sonam was alone; I gave her water...," he said.