Father claims she is ‘100 per cent innocent’, seeks CBI probe
PTI, SHILLONG/ LUCKNOW/ INDORE, JUNE 9, 2025: Indore tourist Raja Raghuvanshi was allegedly killed by men, hired by his wife, during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, DGP I Nongrang said on Monday.
Speaking to newspersons, Nongrang said the wife, Sonam, surrendered before the Nandganj Police Station in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur, while three other assailants were arrested in overnight raids. Of the three arrested men, two are from Madhya Pradesh’s Indore and one from Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh, she said.
According to PTI Video, East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem said one more was arrested from Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district on Monday. Raghuvanshi and his wife went missing while vacationing in the Sohra area in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district on May 23. His body was found in a gorge on June 2, while a search for his wife was underway.
“One person was picked up from UP, and another two accused were apprehended from Indore by the SIT,” the DGP said. “Sonam surrendered at the Nandganj police station in UP, and was subsequently arrested,” she added.
According to the DGP, the arrested men had revealed that the wife had hired them to kill Raghuvanshi.
According to PTI Video, the East Khasi Hills SP said: “The first person arrested was Akash Rajput, 19 years old, from Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh. The second was Vishal Singh Chauhan, 22 years old, from Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The third was Raj Singh Khushwaha, 21 years old, also from Indore.”
“Sonam Raghuvanshi is currently in police custody. This afternoon, we arrested Anand Kurmi, 23 years old, from Sagar district, Madhya Pradesh,” the SP said.
Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh ADG Law and Order Amitabh Yash, in a statement, said: “Sonam Raghuvanshi, Govindnagar Khadsa, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, aged about 24 years, was found in the night at Kashi Dhaba situated on the Varanasi-Ghazipur main road. She was sent to Sadar Hospital for initial treatment and then kept in One Stop Centre…”
A one-stop centre provides assistance to women in distress, both in private and public places.
A statement issued by the Meghalaya Police said Sonam is currently in the custody of the Uttar Pradesh Police, and necessary legal protocols are being followed for her transit. “The arrests mark a decisive development in unravelling the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of Raja Raghuvanshi and the subsequent disappearance of his wife,” it said.
The outcome of the investigation is the “result of round-the-clock efforts by the Meghalaya Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT), supported by State Disaster Response Force and National Disaster Response Force, local intelligence units and law enforcement agencies across multiple states,” the statement said.
Later in the day, Meghalaya Deputy CM Prestone Tynsong said the “final arrest took place on Monday.” Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma congratulated the state police for cracking the case that had shocked the nation.
“Within 7 days, a major breakthrough has been achieved by the #meghalayapolice in the Raja murder case… 3 assailants who are from Madhya Pradesh have been arrested, female has surrendered and operation still on to catch 1 more assailant… well done,” he posted on X earlier in the day.
According to some sources, Albert Pde, a tourist guide in Mawlakhiat, had seen Raghuvanshi and his wife with three men on the day they went missing. Albert said that he had seen the couple, accompanied by three men, as they were climbing over 3,000 steps from Nongriat to Mawlakhiat around 10 am on May 23. The tourist guide said he recognised the couple as he had offered his services to them on the previous day to see the famed living roots bridge in Nongriat, but they had politely refused and hired another guide.
Meanwhile, Sonam’s father on Monday claimed his daughter was “100 per cent innocent” and demanded a CBI probe into the matter. A relative of deceased local transport businessman Raja Raghuvanshi also said they cannot believe his wife Sonam was behind his murder, but if she is proved guilty, she should be given the harshest punishment.
He said Sonam made a video call to her brother on Sunday night following which Raghuvanshi’s family informed the Uttar Pradesh Police about her presence in that state.
“My daughter is 100 per cent innocent. We demand a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the case,” Sonam’s father Devi Singh Raghuvanshi told reporters.
“The Meghalaya Police are giving false statements about my daughter because the state government’s image is getting tarnished due to Raja Raghuvanshi’s murder case,” he alleged. The Meghalaya Police have no evidence against his daughter that she gave a contract to get her husband killed, he said.
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