Meghalaya honeymoon murder: Raja Raghuvanshi killed after 3 failed plots

Shillong: Meghalaya Police on Thursday confirmed that 28-year-old Raja Raghuvanshi, a transporter from Indore, was murdered by his wife, Sonam, and four accomplices after three earlier attempts to kill him failed.

All five accused, Sonam, Vishal Chauhan, Raj Kushwaha, Akash Rajput, and Anand Kurmi, have confessed to the crime, police said.

"Forced marriage" and a love triangle

Superintendent of Police (East Khasi Hills), Vivek Syiem, stated that the murder appears to have been driven by a romantic relationship between Sonam and Raj Kushwaha, believed to be the mastermind.

“She claimed she had been compelled to marry Raja, which she cited as the reason behind the act,” Syiem explained.

He added, “It is evident at this point that a love angle was involved. Raj is clearly the central figure in orchestrating this plan.”

All accused, who are said to be friends, hatched the plot in Indore approximately 11 days before the wedding. One of the accused, police said, is Raj’s cousin.

“It was not a contract killing – they did it as a personal favour to Raj,” Syiem noted.

Failed plots in Guwahati and Sohra

Police detailed a series of failed attempts before the final attack. Initially, the group intended to kill Raja in Guwahati, but that plan did not materialise.

They then considered Nongriat, but could not identify a suitable location to dispose of the body. A third attempt was planned between Mawalakhyat and Weisawdong, which also failed.

Eventually, they carried out the murder at Weisawdong Falls. “All five took turns attacking Raja with sharp weapons. His body was then thrown into a deep gorge,” the SP revealed.

The assailants quickly fled the scene. Akash reportedly removed his shirt and donned the raincoat previously worn by Sonam to conceal his identity.

Murder was not the first plan

According to police, the idea of eliminating Raja was not the group’s initial plan. Investigations suggest that as early as February, before the marriage, Sonam and Raj had begun exploring options for her to disappear and avoid the wedding altogether.

“One idea was to stage an accident where Sonam would be swept away by a river. Another was more macabre – to kill someone, place the body on a scooty, set it ablaze, and later claim the remains were Sonam’s,” Syiem said.

When those plans proved unfeasible, the group decided Raja would be killed after the wedding. Raj’s associates travelled to Guwahati before Sonam's arrival and coordinated with her movements thereafter.

From Guwahati to Shillong and on to Sohra, they kept shifting the location of their planned crime until it was eventually executed at Weisawdong.

Police continue investigation

Police said further interrogation is underway to piece together more precise details of the sequence of events leading up to the murder.

“We are still gathering information on the exact circumstances of the crime,” said SP Syiem.

(Agency inputs)