Meghalaya honeymoon murder: Catering bill due fuels drama over a year after fateful wedding

Indore (MP): In a bizarre development in the infamous 2025 Meghalaya honeymoon murder case, a local wedding caterer approached the police on Tuesday, nearly 15 months after the fateful nuptials, seeking assistance to recover alleged outstanding dues of ₹2.82 lakh from the families of the victim and the accused.

However, the police declined to register a criminal case, terming the monetary conflict a civil matter outside their jurisdiction.

The tragic backstory dates back to May 2025, when local entrepreneur Raja Raghuvanshi and his bride Sonam Raghuvanshi travelled to Meghalaya shortly after their wedding. Raja was subsequently murdered, his body later retrieved from a deep gorge near a waterfall in the Sohra (Cherrapunji) region of East Khasi Hills district. Meghalaya Police later arrested Sonam, her alleged paramour Raj Kushwaha, and three hired assassins for conspiring and executing the killing.

Indore-based caterer Hitesh Rohira stated that both families had jointly awarded him a catering contract worth ₹11,42,550 for the marriage functions. While he received ₹8,60,000, an amount of ₹2,82,550 remains unpaid.

Rohira claimed he repeatedly reached out to Raja's elder brother Vipin Raghuvanshi and Sonam's elder brother Govind Raghuvanshi, but both families deflected responsibility onto each other. Frustrated by the stalemate, Rohira served a legal notice through his counsel on April 1, but failed to secure the funds.

He subsequently approached the Dwarkapuri police station to lodge an official complaint against both families, but the police refused to register an FIR.

Addressing the matter, Dwarkapuri police station in-charge Manish Mishra said that financial transaction disputes do not warrant police action, as they fall strictly within the purview of civil law.

Meanwhile, both families have denied financial liability. Vipin Raghuvanshi maintained that his family holds no unpaid balances with the caterer, claiming, “The caterer was booked by Sonam's elder brother Govind. Our family has no outstanding transactions with the caterer.”

Conversely, Govind Raghuvanshi asserted that the catering bill was almost entirely settled, questioning the caterer's motives. “Where was the caterer all this time? Nearly 15 months after the wedding, he is claiming pending payment just to get cheap publicity,” Govind said.

Following the murder in May 2025, Sonam was apprehended from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh on June 9, 2025. She spent over 10 months in judicial custody in Shillong before securing bail. However, on July 23, the Supreme Court quashed her bail order and directed her to surrender to law enforcement within three weeks.

PTI