In chilling details which are now surfacing in the Meghalaya honeymoon murder case, Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi’s mother on Monday claimed that Sonam made her husband wear gold jewellery worth ₹10 lakh for the honeymoon.
Sonam is the prime accused in her husband’s murder case, whose body was found in a gorge on June 2, ten days after the couple had gone missing. A gold ring and a neck chain were found missing from Raja Raghuvanshi‘s body, further leading to suspicion that he was murdered.
New details emerge
According to a NDTV report, the couple had left for their trip to Meghalaya wearing all their gold jewellery. While Sonam Raghuvanshi went to the airport directly from her parents’ house, Raja left his house wearing gold jewellery worth more than ₹10 lakh, which included a diamond ring, a chain, and a bracelet, the report said, quoting officials.
The report said that when Raja’s mother questioned him about the jewellery, he told her that Sonam wanted him to wear it. Sonam had also allegedly made all the bookings, including travel and accommodation, for their honeymoon, Raja’s mother Uma Raghuvanshi told NDTV.
Sonam did not book a return ticket, she said. Sonam may have also extended their trip to Shillong, but did not provide any details of the trip to either of the families, Uma said.
“Sonam booked the tickets for the trip, and she may have extended the trip to Shillong, as my son did not know about the region. Her mother told that they visited Shillong last year,” NDTV quoted Uma as saying.
‘Sharp wounds to head’: What Raja’s autopsy reveals
Raja Raghuvanshi’s autopsy report has confirmed many sharp wounds, but two major ones on the head – one from the front, and another from the back – an India Today report said on Monday.
Sonam and Raja Raghuvanshi had left for Meghalaya for their honeymoon on May 20 after getting married on May 11. They arrived at Mawlakhiat village on May 22 on a rented scooter. Two days later, their rented scooter was found abandoned at a cafe along the road from Shillong to Sohra, following which the search for them began, the PTI report said.
A day after Raja’s body was found in a gorge, a bloodstained machete was also found nearby. Two days later, a raincoat that was similar to the one used by the couple was found in Mawkma village, halfway between Sohrarim and the gorge where the body was found.
Sonam surfaces at a Ghazipur dhaba
The case took an interesting turn when Sonam showed up at a Ghazipur dhaba in the early hours of Monday. She was taken into custody shortly after she approached the dhaba owner for help. She claimed that an attempt was made to rob her, after which she fell unconscious and did not remember how she ended up in Ghazipur, the India Today report said.
A News18 report, quoting police sources, said that Sonam has claimed innocence and alleged abduction. She claimed she was not an accused, but a victim in the case. However, Meghalaya Police has named Sonam one of the prime accused in the case, saying that she had hired killers for the murder of her husband.
Four accused have been arrested, Meghalaya Deputy CM Prestone Tynsong said on Monday, with Sonam’s arrest making it to five people being held in the case so far. “We are in the process of bringing her to Shillong for further investigation,” Tynsong told ANI.
(With inputs from agencies)
