Raja Raghuvanshi was killed during his honeymoon in Meghalaya.
Soon after her husband was killed and thrown into a gorge in front of her eyes, Sonam Raghuvanshi - prime accused in the honeymoon murder case - posted from Raja Raghuvanshi's phone: "saat janmon ka saath hai (Together for seven lives)".
The ironic message, right after the gruesome murder, was posted in an attempt to portray the husband was still alive.
According to the sources, Raja was killed on May 23, the same day the couple were reported to be missing. The post was made at 2:15 pm, the sources said.
Raja and Sonam were in Meghalaya for their honeymoon. The two got married on May 11 and soon left for their honeymoon on May 20. Three days later, on May 23, after checking out of a homestay, the two went missing. Their rented vehicle was found abandoned in a village nearby.
After days of search, Raja's body was found in a gorge on June 2, while Sonam remained 'missing'. Police also found a murder weapon, a machete, used to kill Raja. Two days later, Police found a stained raincoat, much bigger, but it raised hopes of finding the 'missing' wife.
On the intervening night of June 8 and 9, Sonam surrendered to the police in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur in her husband's murder. Sonam allegedly killed her husband, Raja, because she was in love with Raj, who used to work at her factory. Sonam orchestrated the murder in connivance with her boyfriend Raj Kushwaha, who, along with his three friends - Vishal Chauhan or Vicky, Anand Kumri and Akash Rajput - has been arrested.
Executing Honeymoon Murder
On May 23, Sonam took Raja to a hilly area on the pretext of a photoshoot. The three accused also followed them and initially spoke to Raja in Hindi. Eventually, Sonam pretended to be tired and started walking much behind her husband and the killers.
As the five people reached a deserted place, Sonam shouted "kill him" - to the killers, sources said.
Sonam's lover, Raj, was not in Meghalaya. According to the police sources, he did the planning.
Sonam gave her raincoat to Akash, which was found 6 km away from the crime scene, to mislead the cops and the investigation, sources said.
Akash's shirt was found at the crime scene, soaked in blood. When Anand Kurmi was caught, he was wearing the same clothes that he was wearing at the time of the incident, as per the sources.
Meghalaya Police had come to know about Sonam's involvement in the murder on June 3 and 4, said the sources.
The motive behind the murder was to get Raja Raghuvanshi out of the way and be with her lover Raj.
What Families Are Saying About Lover Raj
Named 'Honeymoon Murder', many angles of the case remain hanging. Raj's mother has claimed her 20-year-old son is innocent and is being falsely accused.
Speaking to the news agency ANI, Raj's mother said, "My son can never do something like this. He is just 20... He is my only son... He used to work at Sonam's brother's factory. She also used to work there and both would interact. He is being falsely accused."
Raj's mother requested that her son be proven innocent.
"I request the government to prove him innocent. He is innocent," she said while sobbing.
#WATCH | Indore, Madhya Pradesh | Four people have been arrested in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, including Raj Singh Kushwaha.
— ANI (@ANI) June 10, 2025
Raj Kushwaha's mother says, "My son cannot do anything like this. He is just 20 years old... He is my everything... My son worked in Sonam's… pic.twitter.com/twqpT2JC28
When asked if the family knew about Raj, Vipul Raghuvanshi, Raja Raghuvanshi's brother, said he had heard about Raj but didn't think anything was going on between his sister-in-law Sonam and Raj.
"I don't know how long she knew Raj. But it is possible she knew him for a long time. He is an employee in her company and has been working there for 4-5 years. And I had heard of him and complaints about him -- that he is not working properly," he said in conversation with NDTV.
Vipul Raghuvanshi said he had heard Sonam often complain about Raj and scold him for a shabby job.
Raj was seen consoling Sonam's father when Raja's body was brought home. In a video shared by Raja's sister, Shrasti, on Instagram, the co-accused, Raj, can be seen with Sonam's father, Devi Singh, at Raja's funeral.
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