Sonam Raghuvanshi is being brought to Shillong on a transit remand by a team of Meghalaya Police
Sonam Raghuvanshi, arrested in connection with the alleged murder of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, during their honeymoon trip to Meghalaya, is being brought to Shillong on a transit remand by a team of Meghalaya Police.
She was brought to Patna from Ghazipur where she was arrested by a team of Uttar Pradesh Police early Monday morning.
She will then be taken to Shillong enroute Guwahati.
Uttar Pradesh Police, meanwhile, termed Sonam a “poor planner”, saying she tried to present herself before police as a victim.
“Sonam presented herself as a victim before the police, claiming she was drugged and brought to Ghazipur. She informed her family about this, knowing the police would eventually reach her. Around 3 am on Monday, she told her family that she was at a dhaba on the Ghazipur-Varanasi road. Her family immediately contacted the Madhya Pradesh police, who informed the local police, leading to Sonam’s arrest. She was sent for a medical checkup and then to a One-Stop Centre,” NDTV reported ADGP of UP Police, Amitabh Yash, as saying.
Mandhya Pradesh Police, meanwhile, have arrested her four accomplices, including her alleged extramarital lover Raj Kushwaha. They are also likely to be brought to Shillong, multiple media reports stated.
MEGHALAYA HONEYMOON MURDER: THE CASE TIMELINE
Raja and Sonam Raghuvanshi got married on May 11, 2025, and had traveled to Meghalaya on May 20 for their honeymoon.
However, the couple was reported missing on May 23 after checking out of a homestay in Nongriat village.
On June 2, Raja’s decomposed body was discovered in a gorge near the Wei Sawdong Falls near Cherrapunji.
A blood-stained machete and other personal items were found nearby, leading authorities to suspect foul play.
Police said Sonam allegedly hired three men from Indore to murder her husband.
All four suspects, including Sonam’s parmour Raj Khushwaha, have also been arrested by Madhya Pradesh Police.
Sonam was located at a roadside dhaba in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, early Monday morning where she reportedly arrived in a distressed state and requested to make a phone call to her brother.
After her family informed police regarding her whereabouts, she was taken into custody by a team of Uttar Pradesh Police.
Key Developments
Married on May 11, 2025: Sonam Raghuvanshi and Raja Raghuvanshi were married on May 11, 2025, in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
Newly-weds travel to Meghalaya for their honeymoon: The newly-married couple then traveled to Meghalaya on May 20 for their honeymoon. On May 22, the couple reached the Khasi village of Mawlakhaith near Cherrapunji and trekked down to Nongriat, famous for its living root bridge.
Sonam & Raja go missing: The following day on May 23, Sonam and Raja checked out of their homestay but never continued the journey as both go missing after being last seen that morning. In the days that followed, their rented scooter was discovered abandoned near a café on the Shillong-Cherrapunji route. A local guide claimed he saw the couple accompanied by three unknown men, a tip that later proved crucial in cracking the case.
Raja’s decomposed body found: On June 2, Raja’s decomposed body was found at the bottom of a deep gorge beneath Wei Sawdong Falls (near Cherrapunji). Police confirmed that he was murdered and a blood-stained machete was recovered from the site.
Sonam surrenders, later arrested: Sonam surrendered to the police in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, after being missing for 17 days. Reports said she called her family from a dhaba and her family members reported the matter to the police who took her into custody in connection with her husband Raja’s murder.
Four accomplices arrested: Four accomplices in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case — including Sonam’s lover Raj Khushwaha — were arrested from Madhya Pradesh. They were reportedly hired by Sonam to kill her husband.
Family’s Response: Sonam’s family, however, maintains her innocence. Her father, Devi Singh, claimed that she voluntarily contacted her brother from a dhaba in Ghazipur and that police are fabricating the story that she hired contract killers to get her husband Raja murdered.
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