A 25-year-old Indian woman has been arrested for allegedly planning her husband’s murder during their honeymoon.
Sonam Raghuvanshi surrendered to police in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, on Monday, June 9.
Her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, 30, was found dead in a deep gorge with his throat slit and his wallet, gold ring, and chain missing.
Highlights
- Sonam Raghuvanshi, 25, surrendered and was arrested for allegedly planning her husband Raja's murder during their honeymoon in Meghalaya.
- Raja Raghuvanshi was found dead with his throat slit and valuables missing after the couple went missing on May 20 during their honeymoon.
- Police arrested three men from Madhya Pradesh, allegedly hired by Sonam to kill Raja; a fourth man was also taken into custody.
Sonam had disappeared without a trace.
An Indian woman has been arrested for planning her husband's murder during their honeymoon
Image credits: Facebook
The incident came four days after the couple arrived in Meghalaya on May 20 for their honeymoon.
After initial searches, police began suspecting Sonam of orchestrating Raja’s murder and allege she hired hitmen to carry it out.
Director General of Meghalaya, Idashisha Nongrang, said three people had been arrested in connection with the death.
"One person was picked up from Uttar Pradesh and another two accused were apprehended from Indore,” he said.
“Sonam surrendered at the Nandganj police station and was subsequently arrested."
Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said at a press conference that a fourth man had been arrested, and he described Sonam "as the main suspect.”
Syiem said it was unclear if Sonam was in an extra-marital affair with either of the men, but they have not yet ruled this theory out.
“If you join the dots, then it would seem like it,” he said.
After going missing for nearly two weeks, Sonam was found at a roadside restaurant called Kashi Dhaba in Ghazipur.
The restaurant owner, Sahil Yadav, said that Sonam arrived on foot at around 1 a.m.
He told Times of India: "She asked for a mobile to talk to her brother and then started crying.”
Her brother alerted the police, who arrived at the scene within 30 minutes.
"When she called me, I got emotional, and later informed the police," her brother, Govind Raghuvanshi, told ANI.
“Until I meet her, I cannot say anything. For the last 72 hours, I have been awake. It’s been 20 days since I met her.”
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Sonam’s father, Devi Singh, claimed his daughter was innocent and accused the Meghalaya police of "making up stories" about his daughter murdering her husband.
He had not been able to speak to his daughter but he believed that she had "somehow managed to escape her captors.”
He appealed to Home Minister Amit Shah to order a federal inquiry into the case and called for the truth to come out.
Raja's brother, Vipin Raghuvanshi, told reporters he would "not accept Sonam's involvement in the murder until she confessed.”
However, he later said that one of the arrested men named by the police worked in Sonam's office.
“I now believe that the Meghalaya government was not lying. They were telling the truth,” he said.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma complimented his state's police force for achieving a "major breakthrough" within seven days.
"The truth has come out," he said.
The men arrested by police include Akash Rajput, 19, from Lalitpur, Vishal Singh Chauhan, 22, from Indore, and Raj Singh Kushwaha, 21, also from Indore.
Hindustan Times reported that a tourist guide identified the couple, who he claims were accompanied by three men on the day they went missing in Meghalaya’s Sohra area.
He later saw them climb 3,000 steps from Nongriat to Mawlakhiat at around 10 a.m. on May 23.
The couple had married in an arranged ceremony on May 11 in Indore. Their families reported that the marriage appeared harmonious, with no signs of conflict.
She surrendered after three men, allegedly hired by her to commit the murder, were arrested
Image credits: Facebook
The couple had started their honeymoon on May 20 and arrived at Mawlakhiat village in Meghalaya on May 22 using a rented scooter.
On May 24, search teams found the abandoned scooter near a café on the road between Shillong and Sohra.
This discovery led to the search operation that uncovered Raja’s body days later.