Meghalaya Honeymoon murder: Police detain Indore property dealer for burning evidence

Meghalaya Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested two persons including a property dealer from Madhya Pradesh in connection with the murder of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi.

The Indore-based property dealer identified as Silome James was detained from Bhonrasa toll-gate in Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh while he was trying to flee to Bhopal on Saturday. He was held for concealing a box belonging to Raghuvanshi's wife and murder accused Sonam, who hid it in a flat in Indore after the murder.

"Meghalaya Police SIT arrested one Silome James from Bhonrasa toll-gate in Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh while he was trying to flee to Bhopal around 7.30 pm on Saturday. He is a property dealer and lessee of a building at Heera Bagh Colony in Indore where Sonam had stayed and kept the jewellery and other items she took with her after the incident," East Khasi Hills district SP Vivek Syiem told news agency PTI.

Later, a security guard, identified as Balla Ahirwar, was also nabbed by the SIT from his native village in Ashok Nagar district of Madhya Pradesh around 2 AM on Sunday.

Ahirwar was posted at the Heera Bagh Colony building.

The two will be produced before a court in Indore, seeking a transit remand for being taken to Shillong for further investigation, Syiem added.

According to the police, James led the SIT to the place where he disposed of all the items of the box by burning.

A member of the SIT said that Sonam's boyfriend Raj Kushwaha owned a firearm and this was kept at the property along with jewellery and a laptop. At the site where James had burnt the box, there were no signs of the pistol, laptop or any of the jewellery belonging to Raja, reported PTI.

During the investigation, Vishal alias Vicky Chauhan revealed that he had booked an online auto from his Indore residence to Sonam's hideout in the same city with a black bag containing her clothes, jewellery, ₹5 lakh in cash, and a pistol, reported India Today TV.

After checking some CCTV footages, the police identified James carrying a black bag from the flat and putting it in a car, reported India Today TV.

About Heera Bagh Colony flat

The flat was rented out to murder co-accused Vishal Chauhan by James.

On June 13, James had told reporters that Chauhan approached him on May 30 and rented the flat for ₹17,000 per month, signing a formal agreement.

Sonam allegedly stayed in the flat for several days on return from Meghalaya, before eventually surrendering to police in Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh on June 8.