In a chilling revelation that has shocked the nation, Meghalaya Police have unearthed a murder-for-hire plot in the tragic death of Raja Raghuvanshi during his honeymoon. His wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, has allegedly confessed to orchestrating the murder by offering ₹20 lakh to her lover’s friends, of which ₹15,000 was paid in advance, according to police reports.
The couple had recently married on May 11 in Indore and set out for their honeymoon in Meghalaya on May 20. Within days, Raja went missing, and on June 2, his decomposed body was found in a deep gorge—stripped of his gold chain and ring, sparking immediate suspicions of foul play.
Investigators revealed that Sonam, in cahoots with her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha, plotted the murder and met the hired killers in Bengaluru before they all boarded a flight to Meghalaya. Initially offering ₹4 lakh, Sonam later increased the bounty to ₹20 lakh and paid ₹15,000 in cash to Akash Rajput (19), Vishal Singh Chauhan (22), and Anand Kurmi—friends of Kushwaha—before the murder.
The last known contact with Raja and Sonam was on May 23. The next day, the scooter they had rented was found abandoned, triggering a search operation. Meanwhile, Sonam disappeared without a trace.
Raj Kushwaha was later arrested in Madhya Pradesh, and the three alleged assassins have also been taken into custody. Sonam resurfaced on June 9 in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, after she called her brother from a local eatery. Crying and asking to speak to her family, she revealed her location, which led to her immediate detention. She later surrendered to the police and is now under a three-day transit remand with Meghalaya Police.
Raja’s grieving family has demanded the strictest punishment for all those involved, stating that Kushwaha had even visited their Indore home after Raja’s death, adding another layer of betrayal to an already heart-wrenching crime.
