Ghazipur (UP)/Indore/Shillong, June 9 (UNI) A honeymoon-turned chilling murder turned even more sensational as Sonam Raghuvanshi, the missing wife of an Indore-based transport businessman, was arrested in Uttar Pradesh for having hired professional killers to finish off her husband, police said on Monday.
A week after Raja Raghuvanshi's decomposed body was found in the jungles of Meghalaya, Sonam turned up distraught in a dhaba located in the Nandganj area of Ghazipur district in Uttar Pradesh.
She reached the dhaba at around 2:30 am and took a mobile phone from the dhaba owner and called her brother Govind, UP police said.
Govind then informed his acquaintance in Ghazipur. "As soon as the police got the information, a large force, including Superintendent of Police (SP) E Raja, reached the dhaba. Sonam was found in a distraught/unconscious state. At present, she is not in a position to talk. On receiving the information of the incident, Raja's family in Indore left for Ghazipur. On the other hand, Meghalaya Police also left for Ghazipur," said the UP police officer.
Sonam Raghuvanshi and Raja Raghuvanshi had gone to Meghalaya for their honeymoon after their marriage on May 11. The couple reached Shillong on May 20 for their honeymoon, and disappeared on May 23 during a sightseeing trip, police said.
Raja's body was found in the jungles of Meghalaya after a lot of searching on June 2. However, since then, Sonam had been missing.
On Monday, she was found in Uttar Pradesh, over a thousand kilometres away from the crime scene.
Meghalaya Director General of Police Idashisha Nongrang claimed Sonam had hired professional killers to murder her husband during the couple's honeymoon in the north eastern state.
The plot came to light, when police zeroed in on local guides of Shillong who told them that on May 23 three other people were also seen with Raja Raghuvanshi and Sonam Raghuvanshi when they had gone sightseeing.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma took to social media on Monday morning and said that the state police achieved a major success in the Raja murder case after seven days.
"Three suspects from Madhya Pradesh have been arrested. A woman has surrendered. The search is on for one more suspect," he said.
The Meghalaya police have already nabbed three of the professional killers allegedly hired by Sonam.
A Meghalaya Police official told UNI that Sonam had given herself up before police at Nandganj Police Station of Ghazipur district in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday night
The three other murder suspects - two from Indore in Madhya Pradesh and one from Lalitpur district in Uttar Pradesh - were arrested by the Special Investigation Team of Meghalaya Police based on circumstantial evidence related to the cold-blooded murder of Raja.
Hunt is on to nab one more accused, police said.
Vivek Syiem, Superintendent of Police, East Khasi Hills, said at a press conference today, that those arrested include 19-year-old Akash Rajput, from Lalitpur, Vishal Singh Chauhan, age 22 years, from Indore, and Raj Singh Kushwaha, age 21 years, from Indore.
He said the three arrested men and Sonam committed the crime on May 23 and left soon after.
He said Meghalaya formed a Special Investigation Team and in a week’s time, the SIT accumulated substantial evidence and zeroed down on the culprits.
“All these days, Sonam and others were underground, and yesterday, when our operation (of arresting the three men) started, suddenly she surfaced..."
“All four accused would be produced before the courts for a transit remand to the state (Meghalaya) for further investigation into the cold-blooded murder,” a police official said.
All the accused are being grilled for further details, including the motive, how the crime was committed, and other details concerning the case.
A case of murder is being registered.
The couple had checked in at Shipara Homestay at Nongriat village - home to the famed living double decker root bridge on May 22. Raja and Sonam checked out of their homestay early in the morning.
Albert Pde, a tour guide, said that he had seen the couple midway through the trek, returning from Nongriat, were accompanied by three other male tourists.
“Raja was walking with the three men, while Sonam was walking slowly behind them,” Pde had said.
The missing of the couple came to light when a two-wheeler which they had hired was found abandoned on May 24 at Sohrarim village between Shillong and Sohra road.
On June 2, Meghalaya Police retrieved the decomposed body of Raja from a deep gorge below the Wei Sawdong parking lot at Riat Arliang in Sohra.
On June 4, Meghalaya Police recovered a raincoat stained with what looked like blood from a gorge at AD View Point at Mawkma village.
The cops also recovered a machete believed to be the murder weapon from the crime scene.
Investigators said all material evidence recovered from the crime scene would be sent to Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Hyderabad for further analysis.
Meanwhile, Sonam's father has denied the police allegations and reiterated his demand for a CBI inquiry into the case.
Devi Singh Raghuvanshi, while speaking to the media, said his daughter Sonam has no role in the Raja's murder. "She is innocent. Their marriage took place with mutual consent of the two families," he said. UNI TEAM RN SSP