The newlywed couple had gone missing in Meghalaya during their honeymoon on May 23.
The father of Sonam Raghuvanshi, who was arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur after she surrendered to allegedly orchestrating the murder of her husband in Meghalaya, said that his daughter is "lying" and is "being framed". Her family has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation into the case.
"Sonam is lying. She is not behind the murder. She is in deep shock. She is innocent. Sonam is being framed. We demand a CBI probe," her father told NDTV.
Sonam's mother, Sangita, expressed gratitude that her daughter was found alive, but wants to know who was responsible for the murder of her son-in-law, Raja Raghuvanshi.
"I am thankful that she has been found, but the pain still remains. Now, we just want to know who killed Raja. She has been found, but we are still in grief over Raja's murder. There's sorrow even though she has returned, we lost Raja. The investigation will reveal who did what. The allegations are being made about Sonam, and now, unfortunately, we will have to face all of it," she told news agency IANS.
Sonam, the 'missing' wife of the Indore-based businessman who was killed during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, was found in an unconscious state on Saturday night at a 'dhaba' in Ghazipur. She was taken to the Ghazipur Medical College for treatment, where she surrendered before the police, and was subsequently arrested.
Officials said that Sonam allegedly orchestrated the murder of her husband by hiring contract killers.
The police also arrested three more accused in overnight raids. While one person was found in Uttar Pradesh, the other two were arrested from Indore. The accused have told the police that they were hired by Sonam to kill her husband.
The newly-wed couple, Raja and Sonam, had arrived in Meghalaya for their honeymoon and were exploring various locations when they went missing on May 23. A scooter that they had rented was found abandoned at Sohrarim a day after they went missing. Ten days later, Raja's body was recovered from a deep gorge beneath the Weisawdong Parking Lot at Riat Arliang. A machete, suspected to be the murder weapon, was also recovered.
At the time, Sonam had also gone missing, prompting a multi-state search.
