New Delhi:
Hours after she was arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur, a video of Sonam Raghuvanshi has emerged. Ms Raghuvanshi, accused of killing her husband during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, was arrested from a dhaba, with the Uttar Pradesh Police claiming that she looked “distraught with fever”.
Sonam, 24, who had reportedly gone missing after her husband, Indore-based Raja Raghuvanshi‘s body was discovered in a gorge beneath the Weisawdong Falls parking lot in East Khasi Hills on June 2, was located and taken into custody from Ghazipur district in Uttar Pradesh. She surrendered at the Nandganj police station late Sunday night.
The Meghalaya Police, which is leading the investigation, said Sonam turned herself in “under pressure.” Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Dalton P Marak told news agency IANS that Sonam’s surrender brought the total number of arrests in the case to four, with one more suspect still at large.
According to the police, Raja and Sonam were married on May 11 in Indore. On May 20, the newlyweds left for their honeymoon. Their initial plan, according to Raja’s family, was to visit the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati. However, the couple diverted their route and arrived in Shillong on May 21, checking into the Balaji Guest House.
On May 22, the couple rented a scooter and began travelling towards Sohra (Cherrapunjee), one of Meghalaya’s most popular tourist destinations. They reached Mawlakhiat village the same evening and, after hiring a local guide, trekked to the Shipara Homestay in Nongriat, where they stayed the night.
The following morning they checked out by 6:00 am, declining breakfast and informing the homestay owner that they would walk back to Mawlakhiat unaccompanied. A local guide reported seeing the couple later that morning on the steep return trail, allegedly accompanied by three unidentified men. That was the last confirmed sighting of them together.
Two days later, on May 25, the couple’s rented scooter was found abandoned in Sohrarim village. The breakthrough came on June 2, when Raja’s body was recovered from a gorge, showing signs of assault with a sharp weapon – believed to be a machete. His wife remained untraceable until her surrender on June 8.
