After being missing for more than two weeks, Sonam Raghuvanshi, in a dramatic turn of events more akin to a lurid Bollywood movie than real life, turned up in Uttar Pradesh where she surrendered herself to local police.
Meghalaya police, fire and emergency staff, state and national search and rescue teams and numerous locals have spent days trying to find any trace of Sonam, who went missing with her husband on May 23 after visiting Nongriat. The body of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, was found on June 2 in Weisawdong, while their rented scooty had been abandoned in Sohrarim.
Today, announcing the breakthrough in the case, East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said that, far from being an innocent victim, Sonam is a “prime accused” in the murder of her husband. The couple had come to Meghalaya on their honeymoon just days after getting married in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, last month.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was formed after Raja’s death had “accumulated substantial evidence” before launching raids in conjunction with MP and UP police that led to the arrest of three suspects yesterday – Akash Rajput (19) from Lalitpur in UP, Vishal Singh Chauhan (22) and Raj Singh Kushwaha, both from Indore. The latter is alleged to be Sonam’s boyfriend/lover. Today, another suspect, Anand Kurmi (23), was arrested from a village in MP. At today’s press conference, Syiem said that a Meghalaya police team was heading to Ghazipur to “cause arrest” of Sonam. Ghazipur is to the north east of Varanasi.
Last week a tour guide told reporters that he had seen Sonam and Raja in the company of three men on their return trek from Nongriat. It is believed that the three men were Anand, Akash and Vishal.
Raja’s body was found with lacerations to his head (one news report states that his throat was cut) caused by a brand new dao (machete) found near his body. A few valuable items of his were missing from the body, leading family members to allege that he had been the victim of a violent robbery and that Sonam had been kidnapped. Today, however, Syiem said that indications are that the murder was plotted by Sonam and Raj, though he declined to speak much as to the motive; this will be known only after the two are brought back to Meghalaya and interrogated.
While Raja’s family appears to have accepted the Meghalaya police’s version of events, Sonam’s father was adamant that his daughter is innocent. Speaking to reporters in Indore, he claimed that Meghalaya’s police have fabricated the case against her and the Meghalaya government has been lying throughout. He also stated that Sonam had contacted her brother from Ghazipur and that he had then informed UP police.
Speaking from Shillong, Syiem said that until Raja’s body was found there had been no indication that the case pertained to murder. “It was still a [case of] missing persons,” he said. The SIT was put together with Syiem and other senior police officers after that and in less than a week gathered enough evidence that pointed at the six accused. “The SIT just didn’t go there (UP and MP) and look for suspects. The SIT went there with firm evidence and knew who the culprits were after doing a lot of homework and with the help of our counterparts.”
Sonam’s father, Devi Singh, maintained, “My daughter is innocent. I trust her completely. She cannot do this. They got married with the consent of both families. The Meghalaya government has been lying from the beginning”.
Sonam and Raja had had an arranged marriage approved by both families and both seemed happy at the union, families have said in earlier days.
Singh is still calling for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, adding, “Once a CBI inquiry begins, all the officers from that Meghalaya police station will land in jail.
Raja’s brother Vipin Raghuvanshi initially told reporters today that he would “not accept Sonam’s involvement in the murder until she confessed”. However, he later acknowledged that one of the accused worked in Sonam’s office, which is unlikely to be a coincidence. “Only Sonam can clarify. If she’s guilty, she should be punished,” Vipin stated.
Taking back past accusations that Meghalaya was not doing enough to search for his sister-in-law and find the killers of his brother, he said, “I now believe that the Meghalaya government was not lying. They were telling the truth”.
