Meghalaya honeymoon murder: ‘Sonam insisted on killing Raja even when contract killers backed out' | What cops revealed

Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime conspirator in the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, remained determined to go through with the killing – even when her alleged accomplices backed out at the last moment, according to Raj Khushwaha, another accused now in police custody. Raj Khushwaha's statement adds a chilling new layer to Sonam’s image – a bride seen smiling in her wedding photos, all while allegedly cooking up a murder plot in secret.

While the interrogation of the four accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case continues, cops have uncovered terrifying new claims that have started to surface.

Police have arrested Sonam's alleged boyfriend Raj Kushwaha and three contract killers Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi in connection with the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case. Sonam Raghuvanshi, too, was detained from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh and kept at Shillong Sadar Police Station in Meghalaya.

‘Accused backed out, Sonam insisted on killing Raja’

A senior police officer who is working with the Meghalaya Police in the Indore honeymooners' case told Hindustan Times that during the interrogation, Raj Khushwaha – also allegedly Sonam's boyfriend – claimed he did not want to be part of the murder plot and even urged the other three accused to back out but, “Sonam insisted”.

“Raj Kushwaha claims he didn’t want to support Sonam and at the last moment, cancelled his plan to go to Meghalaya. He also allegedly asked the three others not to go, but they went to see Meghalaya after Sonam booked the tickets," a senior police officer said. He revealed that the three accused – Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi – refused to murder Raja Raghuvanshi on the final days of the plot but Sonam “insisted” on it, promising ₹15 lakh to them.

“Even at the last moment, the three refused to kill, but Sonam insisted and said she would give ₹15 lakh for that. Police are verifying these claims,” the cop from Indore said.

Also Read | Sonam Raghuvanshi claims ‘I’m victim, not an accused' in Meghalaya honeymoon murder case

After the murder, Sonam Raghuvanshi paid ₹20 lakh to the three, a Meghalaya Police officer said. She had also given ₹15,000 to the contract killers that she had taken from her husband's wallet during the crime.

In fact, Sonam Raghuvanshi, who was initially reported missing in Meghalaya, apparently visited Indore after her husband was murdered and stayed in a rented flat for three days, a police official said.

“We have received the information that Sonam came to Indore and stayed in a rented flat in Dewas Naka area between May 25 and 27,” the official said.

From wedding to murder – How it happened?

After their wedding on May 11 in Indore, Raja and Sonam travelled to Meghalaya for honeymoon. They disappeared on May 23, hours after checking out of a homestay at Nongriat village. They both were considered “missing”.

On June 2, Raja's body was found in a gorge. Police also recovered a bloodstained machete (dao), which they believe was used in Raja’s murder.

A raincoat also believed to belong to the couple, was recovered from Mawkma village, a few kilometres away from the gorge where Raja's body was found. Raja's autopsy report revealed that he was hit twice on the head with a sharp object.

On Monday, June 9, Sonam Raghuvanshi was picked up from a dhaba in Ghazipur. In police custody, Sonam claimed that she was drugged and didn't remember how she reached Ghazipur.

(With agency inputs)