In a significant development, a court in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya has framed charges against five individuals in connection with the brutal murder of Raja Raghuvanshi, a businessman from Madhya Pradesh. Raghuvanshi was allegedly killed in May by three hired hitmen while he was on a honeymoon with his wife, Sonam, in the state.
The five accused in the case include Sonam, Raghuvanshi’s wife, her boyfriend Raj Kushwaha, and the three hitmen—Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput, and Anand Kurmi—who are said to have been brought from Madhya Pradesh to execute the crime. All of the accused have denied the charges.
On Tuesday, the court formally framed charges against them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Sections 103(1) (murder), 238(a) (disappearance of evidence), and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy).
Details of the Crime and Investigation
Raja Raghuvanshi, a resident of Indore, and his wife Sonam arrived in Shillong on May 21, before heading to Sohra for their honeymoon. However, on May 26, the couple went missing, prompting a widespread search operation by the Sohra police, the Special Operations Team, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), local trekking groups, and community members.
After several days of extensive searching, Raja Raghuvanshi’s body was found on June 2 in a deep gorge near the Wei Sawdong falls in Sohra. A case was registered at the Sohra police station, and the investigation began.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Sonam was involved in a romantic relationship with Raj Kushwaha. The two, along with the three hired hitmen, allegedly conspired to murder Raja during their honeymoon. According to the police, the killing was carried out by the three hitmen in the presence of Sonam, who is said to have been complicit in the crime.
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