“Honeymoon Murder” Mastermind Sonam, Four Aides Remanded to 8 Days Police Custody
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June 11: A court in Shillong on Wednesday sent Sonam Raghuvanshi, the alleged mastermind in the Meghalaya “honeymoon murder” and her four accomplices including her “boyfriend” Raj Kushwaha, to eight-day police custody, an official said.
Sonam, who is claimed to have confessed her crime, was brought to Shillong, on Tuesday midnight, while the other accused reached on Wednesday on transit remand, a senior officer said. “Police had sought a 10-day remand of all the accused. The court granted 8 days of police custody,” East Khasi Hills district SP Vivek Syiem said.
The 24-year-old woman was arrested from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh while 3 of her aides were apprehended from Madhya Pradesh and one from UP, for their alleged role in conspiring and killing her newly-married husband Raja Raghuvanshi. Raghuvanshi and his wife Sonam went missing while “honeymooning” in Meghalaya’s Sohra area on May 23. His body was found in a gorge on June 2.
Police sources said Sonam on Wednesday confessed to being involved in her husband Raja Raghuvanshi’s killing. The admission by Sonam came during questioning by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). Officials now plan to record her formal statement before a magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC, sources said.
Meanwhile, the police were also preparing to videotape her confession, which could play a crucial role in the prosecution’s case going forward. Sonam Raghuvanshi, along with other accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, were on Wednesday interrogated by the Meghalaya Police SIT at the Sadar Police Station in Shillong.
Sonam, who surrendered before police in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur on June 7, was taken to Patna by road, then flown to Kolkata and onward to Guwahati. From Guwahati airport, she was discreetly taken out through the cargo gate and transported to the Sadar police station in Shillong, where she spent the night after a mandatory medical examination at Ganesh Das Hospital.
Four other accused — Raj Kushwaha, Sonam’s alleged lover and the mastermind, along with Anand Kurmi, Akash Rajput, and Vishal Singh Chauhan — were also brought to the Meghalaya capital earlier in the day.
Her brother Govind said Sonam has been “boycotted” by her family. He met deceased Raja’s family and said her family wants her to be hanged if she is guilty. He also apologised to Raja Raghuvanshi’s mother for their loss and said his family would stand with them to get Sonam punished. Govind went to the residence of Sonam’s in-laws in Indore on Wednesday and a video shows him hugging Raja Raghuvanshi’s mother. The mother, Uma, is seen crying and Govind breaks out into tears too.
Sonam, 24, is accused of plotting the murder of Raja, 29, who was killed during their honeymoon in Meghalaya on May 23, just 12 days after they got married. Sonam was allegedly in love with Raj Kushwaha, a 21-year-old employee in their family business, and they had roped in three of Kushwaha’s friends to carry out the murder.
“My lawyer will stand against Raj Kushwaha and Sonam,” her brother said. “My whole family is nervous, we willl always be apologetic to Raja Raghuvanshi’s family,” he added.
Speaking to reporters with Raja’s brother, Vipin, after the meeting, Govind said. “It is not confirmed that Sonam was behind the murder. But the evidence being brought to light makes me 100% sure that she has got this done. The names of the other people that have come to light are all related to Raj Kushwaha.”
“I have apologised to Raja’s family. I had given my sister to this family and I am a part of it now. My family has severed all ties with Sonam. I liked Raja. If Sonam is guilty, she must be hanged,” he added.
Govind said Kushwaha used to call Sonam ‘didi’ (elder sister) all the time and, in a big revelation, added that she had also been tying a rakhi (a sign of sisterly love) on Kushwaha’s wrist for the past three years. To a question on the statements made by Kushwaha’s mother, Govind said she would not be aware of a relationship between her son and Sonam because he always used to call her ‘didi’. “He would sit next to me and she would tie rakhi on both our wrists.”
Sonam’s brother said Kushwaha had been managing the family’s plywood factory and the customer-facing side of the business for two to three years.
Sonam had been missing since the murder on May 23. She surfaced at a dhaba in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur in the early hours of Monday and asked if she could call her family, after which she dialled Govind. When Govind was asked about this, he said, “At that time, she was just crying and telling me that she was at the dhaba. I called the cops and asked them to go there… I am standing with the truth, my lawyer will fight on behalf of this (Raja’s) family. If, like the police are saying, Sonam has confessed to this crime, then she is guilty.”
Govind said Sonam had been happy after getting engaged to Raja and she had shopped for two months before the wedding. He also denied reports of Sonam having told her mother that she was against the marriage and her family would be responsible for the consequences if she did anything to Raja. “We have boycotted Sonam and society will too. We have cut ties with her,” Govind said. He also apologised to the Meghalaya government for making allegations against the state police.
Speaking to reporters later, Raja’s mother, Uma Raghuvanshi, said she did not think there has been any mistake on Govind’s part. “Govind told me he wants Sonam to be hanged. He is unhappy about what happened to Raja. He is not at fault,” said Ms Raghuvanshi.
