What started off as a honeymoon for raja and Sonam Raghuvanshi, a couple from indore, madhya pradesh, became a horrific murder mystery in Meghalaya. meghalaya Police's investigation into this high-profile case played out like a crime drama. Here's how Sonam Raghuvanshi and her purported lover raj Kushwaha's perfect murder scheme fell through, and how the police gradually discovered the truth.
The story begins with a Honeymoon
On May 11, 2025, raja and Sonam Raghuvanshi were married in Indore. On May 20, nine days later, they departed for their honeymoon. Following stories of terror incidents, the couple decided to travel to meghalaya instead of their original plan of visiting Kashmir. On May 22, the pair arrived in Mawlakhiyat village on a hired scooter. According to officials, they parked their motorbike and descended more than 3,000 steps from the valley to Nongriat hamlet, where they slept overnight at a homestay before departing the next morning to view the well-known "Living Roots" bridges.
Mysterious Disappearance
The couple left their homestay at around 6 a.m. on May 23 and rented a scooter to go sightseeing. They stopped communicating with their relatives after that. On May 24, the meghalaya police began a search and rescue operation after discovering the couple's scooter abandoned outside a cafe on the Shillong to Sohra road. According to officials, Sohra's intense rain had an impact on the operation.
First major clue: police findings - Raja's body
Raja's decomposing body was discovered by the meghalaya police on june 2 in a deep ravine close to the Wei Sawdong waterfall. Decomposition had rendered his face unidentifiable, but a tattoo of the name "Raja" on his palm verified his identity. It was confirmed to be a murder after the post-mortem showed that raja had been struck twice in the head with a sharp object.
The search for Sonam continued
On june 4, investigators discovered more evidence at the scene, including a smartwatch, a shattered cell phone screen, a white shirt worn by a woman, and a strip of medication. Officially, a homicide case was filed.
This was the entire plan to kill Raja
Sonam was in a relationship with raj Kushwaha, 20, who planned the murder on May 18 after the two got married seven days prior, according to Rajesh Dandotiya, additional commissioner of police in Indore. Vishal Chauhan, anand Kumar, and akash Rajput were allegedly employed by Kushwaha to assassinate raja Raghuvanshi. On May 19, Sonam persuaded her husband to take a honeymoon trip to meghalaya, and the following day they departed.
Sonam and Raj's big mistake
Up until she made a crucial error, Sonam's strategy was proceeding as planned. The meghalaya police claim that the machete used in Raja's murder was the first clue they discovered. "We suspected that someone from outside the area was involved because this type of machete is not commonly used in the region," stated a senior officer involved in the inquiry. After that, we made the decision to look into the couple's call logs.
Sonam's last known location before going missing was close to one of the hired killers, with whom she had communicated just days prior to the murder.
Ghazipur SP Sonam was taken into custody from 'Kashi Dhaba' on the main road between varanasi and Ghazipur, according to Iraz Raja. After receiving treatment at the Sadar Hospital, she was detained at a one-stop center that offers medical and legal services to women in need.
The madhya pradesh police were able to track down Sonam after she requested a phone to call her parents in indore, a dhaba staffer told reporters.
She was later arrested after contacting the Uttar Pradesh Police.
Sonam was taken into custody by a squad of meghalaya police from the one-stop center on monday at approximately 6:30 p.m.
Despite being arrested from the restaurant, Sonam turned herself in at the Ghazipur district's Nandganj police station, according to the authorities.
"The first person arrested was Rajput from Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh. The second was Chauhan from indore in Madhya Pradesh. The third was Kushwaha, also from indore," east Khasi Hills SP vivek Syiem said at a press conference in Shillong.
The story begins with a Honeymoon
On May 11, 2025, raja and Sonam Raghuvanshi were married in Indore. On May 20, nine days later, they departed for their honeymoon. Following stories of terror incidents, the couple decided to travel to meghalaya instead of their original plan of visiting Kashmir. On May 22, the pair arrived in Mawlakhiyat village on a hired scooter. According to officials, they parked their motorbike and descended more than 3,000 steps from the valley to Nongriat hamlet, where they slept overnight at a homestay before departing the next morning to view the well-known "Living Roots" bridges.
Mysterious Disappearance
The couple left their homestay at around 6 a.m. on May 23 and rented a scooter to go sightseeing. They stopped communicating with their relatives after that. On May 24, the meghalaya police began a search and rescue operation after discovering the couple's scooter abandoned outside a cafe on the Shillong to Sohra road. According to officials, Sohra's intense rain had an impact on the operation.
First major clue: police findings - Raja's body
Raja's decomposing body was discovered by the meghalaya police on june 2 in a deep ravine close to the Wei Sawdong waterfall. Decomposition had rendered his face unidentifiable, but a tattoo of the name "Raja" on his palm verified his identity. It was confirmed to be a murder after the post-mortem showed that raja had been struck twice in the head with a sharp object.
The search for Sonam continued
On june 4, investigators discovered more evidence at the scene, including a smartwatch, a shattered cell phone screen, a white shirt worn by a woman, and a strip of medication. Officially, a homicide case was filed.
This was the entire plan to kill Raja
Sonam was in a relationship with raj Kushwaha, 20, who planned the murder on May 18 after the two got married seven days prior, according to Rajesh Dandotiya, additional commissioner of police in Indore. Vishal Chauhan, anand Kumar, and akash Rajput were allegedly employed by Kushwaha to assassinate raja Raghuvanshi. On May 19, Sonam persuaded her husband to take a honeymoon trip to meghalaya, and the following day they departed.
Sonam and Raj's big mistake
Up until she made a crucial error, Sonam's strategy was proceeding as planned. The meghalaya police claim that the machete used in Raja's murder was the first clue they discovered. "We suspected that someone from outside the area was involved because this type of machete is not commonly used in the region," stated a senior officer involved in the inquiry. After that, we made the decision to look into the couple's call logs.
Sonam's last known location before going missing was close to one of the hired killers, with whom she had communicated just days prior to the murder.
Ghazipur SP Sonam was taken into custody from 'Kashi Dhaba' on the main road between varanasi and Ghazipur, according to Iraz Raja. After receiving treatment at the Sadar Hospital, she was detained at a one-stop center that offers medical and legal services to women in need.
The madhya pradesh police were able to track down Sonam after she requested a phone to call her parents in indore, a dhaba staffer told reporters.
She was later arrested after contacting the Uttar Pradesh Police.
Sonam was taken into custody by a squad of meghalaya police from the one-stop center on monday at approximately 6:30 p.m.
Despite being arrested from the restaurant, Sonam turned herself in at the Ghazipur district's Nandganj police station, according to the authorities.
"The first person arrested was Rajput from Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh. The second was Chauhan from indore in Madhya Pradesh. The third was Kushwaha, also from indore," east Khasi Hills SP vivek Syiem said at a press conference in Shillong.
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