Raj Kushwaha, who is the alleged mastermind in the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi in Meghalaya, was involved in an illicit relationship with Sonam Raghuvanshi
Raj Kushwaha, the alleged lover of Sonam Raghuvanshi, has now emerged as the mastermind in the murder of Sonam’s husband Raja Raghuvanshi in Meghalaya. He has been held along with Sonam and two of the three hired assassins who were tasked by Raj and Sonam to eliminate Raja.
Who is Raj Kushwaha?
Alleged lover and accomplice
According to Meghalaya Police, during the investigation into Raja Raghuvanshi’s death, they uncovered that Sonam Raghuvanshi had frequent contact a youth named Raj Kushwaha.
Raja’s brother had also specifically alleged that Sonam and Raj shared a close relationship, which may have provided a motive for the crime.
Raj worked at the company of Sonam’s father
While Sonam worked at her father’s company as an HR manager, Raj Kushwaha, who is about five years younger than her, worked as a manager there. They reportedly lived in the same residential colony, and had traveled together to Shillong before the Raja and Sonam’s honeymoon to Meghalaya.
Mastermind of a disrupted escape plan
Authorities say Sonam and Raj were planning to flee — possibly to Nepal — with the help of three other individuals.
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.
Three more arrested: Three men — one among them said to be 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.
As Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh Police continue to investigate the case, more sensational information are expected to tumble out of the closet.
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