Sonam Offered Rs 20 Lakh For Murder, Helped Push Body Into Gorge: Sources

Sonam Raghuvanshi had offered Rs 4 lakh to hired killers for the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, sources said, adding she later raised the amount to Rs 20 lakh. According to top police sources, Sonam helped the other accused in pushing Raghuvanshi's body into a gorge in Meghalaya.

Raja Raghuvanshi's body was found in a gorge near a waterfall in Sohra area (also known as Cherrapunji) of East Khasi Hills district on June 2, days after he reached Meghalaya with his wife Sonam for their honeymoon.

The hitmen hired by Sonam first met with the newlywed couple in Bengaluru, from where they took their connecting flight to the northeast, the sources said, adding that since the victim and the accused were from the same city, they got talking. Sonam had allegedly hired killers to get rid of her husband as she reportedly wanted to be with her lover.

As per sources, Sonam Raghuvanshi planned the murder with her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha just a few days after her May 11 wedding in Indore. The plan of a one-way ticket to Meghalaya for the honeymoon was her plan, they said. Even though Kushwaha did not travel to Meghalaya, but Shillong Police sources suggest he did the planning behind the scenes and was in touch with Sonam.

The accused first followed the newlyweds to Guwahati on May 21 where they stayed close to their hotel and then to Shillong on May 22. They killed Raja the next day, the sources said.

On May 23, Sonam and Raja Raghuvanshi went on a trek to a steep peak to see a waterfall, with the hitmen following their trail. 

At one point, Sonam pretended to be tired and started walking much behind her husband and the killers, the sources said. When they reached a deserted place, Sonam allegedly asked the men to kill her husband. 

The killers, however, refused to kill him, saying they were tired, as per the sources. Sonam Raghuvanshi then allegedly raised her offer to 20 lakh, they said. 

According to sources, Sonam also helped the accused in throwing Raja's body into the ditch. As per the preliminary autopsy report,  Raja Raghuvanshi was hit twice, once each on the back and front of his head.

The Meghalaya Police knew on June 3, a day after they found the body of Raja Raghuvanshi in the gorge, that his wife was involved in the murder. The Meghalaya Police has claimed that all those involved in the conspiracy to kill the man from Indore - including Raj Kushwaha, Vishal Chauhan and Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi - have been arrested in the operation that they codenamed 'Operation Honeymoon'.

In a dramatic development late Sunday night, Sonam Raghuvanshi - who was missing since May 23 - surrendered before the Nandganj Police Station in Ghazipur district in Uttar Pradesh and was later placed under arrest, according to the Meghalaya police.

The sources said, right after the murder, Sonam Raghuvanshi left Meghalaya for Indore, where she met with his alleged lover Raj Kushwaha, the sources said. After staying in a rented room in Indore she travelled to UP with a hired driver, they said.

The grieving family of Raja Raghuvanshi has demanded the harshest possible punishment for the accused, including his wife, and her alleged accomplice, saying that only capital punishment would deliver justice for the brutal crime.

"Our only demand is that the government ensure all the accused, especially Sonam and those involved with her, are brought to justice and hanged. Sonam has already named those responsible, and action must be taken accordingly," said Raja's brother Vipin Raghuvanshi.

Sonam's father, meanwhile, has defended his daughter, claiming the Meghalaya Police were framing her to cover up their own investigative lapses. 

The family of Raj Kushwaha has also defended him, insisting he is innocent and has been falsely implicated. According to his family, Kushwaha, the sole breadwinner, had only a professional relationship with Sonam and was incapable of such a crime. Kushwaha's mother, speaking to reporters, said: "My son is innocent. The police are lying. He never had any relationship with Sonam beyond work."