As Sonam and Raja's families come face to face, police probe unearths more details of honeymoon murder
On Wednesday, just weeks after the honeymoon that turned fatal for Raja Raghuvanshi, the family of his bride and now the accused, Sonam Raghuvanshi, met Raja's family in Indore.
Sonam's brother, Govind, reached Raja's home and broke down as he embraced his mother, Uma.
Govind apologised to her, saying 'Mummy, mein khud jaunga peshi karwane, usko saza dilwaunga (Mother, I will turn up for the hearing and ensure Sonam is punished).'
Govind had spent a week in Shillong, standing in the unrelenting rain, looking for any sign of Sonam's body. When she turned up alive, he had rushed to her aid in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, only to find that the police had arrested her on suspicion of murder.
Uma kept weeping, the shock of the murder still fresh. Through her tears, she kept saying, 'I never imagined she would do this.'
Vipin Raghuvanshi, Raja's brother, later told The Indian Express about the meeting, 'Govind spoke to us yesterday and said he would come today. He apologised to my mother. He said Sonam should not be spared if she did anything wrong.'
On Wednesday, Sonam and the four other accused were produced before a district court in Meghalaya, where the police sought their custody to uncover how the murder took place.
The Madhya Pradesh Crime Branch shared details of the questioning with The Indian Express, revealing that Raj Kushwaha, the main accused, had allegedly paid the killers Rs 50,000 to carry out the murder.
'Raj had given Rs 50,000 to the assailants to carry out the plan. This was meant to also cover the travel expenses, including the hotel stay. After the incident, they took different trains to enter Indore. They destroyed their mobile phones after the incident,' a Crime Branch officer told The Indian Express.
Sonam was allegedly present when the murder took place. One of the assailants, Vishal, allegedly attacked Raja from behind and inflicted two head wounds. The three assailants then threw his body down the gorge.
After the murder, she fled to Indore via Siliguri and stayed in a flat for two days. She then proceeded to leave for UP and reached Ghazipur. However, East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem remained cautious about accepting her version entirely: 'This is what she is telling the police. We are yet to confirm this.'
Raja and Sonam had been reported missing last month during their honeymoon in Meghalaya. Earlier this month, Raja's body was found, and the search for Sonam was stepped up. On Sunday night, police arrested Kushwaha for allegedly orchestrating Raja's murder with Sonam's help. Once he was caught, Sonam surrendered at a police station in Uttar Pradesh.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
13 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Retired forest official from Gujarat's Rajkot duped of Rs 8.93 lakh in digital arrest scam
AHMEDABAD: In a cyber fraud mirroring the recent Rs 19 crore scam in Gandhinagar, a retired forest head clerk from Gujarat's Rajkot, has fallen prey to a 'digital arrest' con and lost Rs 8.93 lakh. Posing as officials from TRAI and Maharashtra Cyber Crime, the scammers extorted money from the elderly man by threatening him with criminal charges and arrest. The victim, a former Forest Head Clerk at Bahumali Bhavan, lives near Patidar Chowk in Rajkot. On November 28, 2024, he received a call from a woman identifying herself as Diya Sharma from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). She claimed that two Jio SIM cards linked to his number were being misused and needed to be deactivated immediately. Minutes later, a second call came, this time from someone posing as Inspector Mohit Handa from the Maharashtra Cyber Crime Cell. The caller alleged that an HDFC Bank account had been opened using the victim's Aadhaar-linked SIM, through which Rs 68 lakh had been fraudulently transacted. The scammer claimed the money belonged to a woman who had since died by suicide and that an arrest warrant had been issued against the retired clerk. As the victim hesitated, the imposter escalated the pressure. Through a video call, he showed a man in police uniform seated at what appeared to be a police station and claimed the only way to avoid arrest was to provide a security bond of Rs 2 lakh. Terrified, the retired official agreed to cooperate.
Indian Express
13 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘We can't rehear the same issue': Delhi High Court on Engineer Rashid's plea seeking waiver of travel costs to attend Parliament
The Delhi High Court Tuesday opined that it is inclined to transfer the plea by Lok Sabha MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh alias Engineer Rashid seeking waiver of the costs to be borne by him for travel and security arrangements to attend Parliament to the earlier bench which imposed the condition. Rashid has been lodged in Tihar Jail since 2019 in a terror funding case. Last week, a Delhi trial court granted custody parole to Rashid, Independent MP from Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir, from July 24 to August 4 to attend the Monsoon Session of Parliament, with the condition that he would bear the costs for the necessary travel and security arrangements. In March, while allowing Rashid to attend Parliament during the Budget session, the Delhi High Court imposed the condition that the lawmaker would bear the expense for his travel to Parliament while in the court's custody, accompanied by the police, and other arrangements. At the time, the jail authorities estimated a daily cost of approximately Rs 1.45 lakh for travel and related arrangements, totalling Rs 8.74 lakh for Rashid to attend six days of Parliament, following which he challenged before the high court the condition that required him to bear the costs. Subsequently, for the limited aspect of attending the Budget session of the Parliament, he submitted that he was ready to deposit 50 per cent of the total cost of over Rs 8.74 lakh for police escort arrangement Recording Rashid's submission, the Delhi High Court then directed that he should be allowed to attend the Parliament after depositing the amount. Taken up before the bench of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Shalinder Kaur Tuesday, as Rashid's advocate Vikhyat Oberoi sought for an accommodation during the day as senior advocate N Hariharan was yet to reach court, Justice Chaudhary orally remarked, 'We can't rehear the same issue, we can't sit in appeal… You have to press this modification before the earlier bench (which had provided for such a condition), it has to consider it. Till the application (seeking modification of condition) is pending, it will be applicable for all sessions of Parliament.' 'For every session of Parliament, there cannot be a fresh application…There is no reason for us to sit over as an appellate court (over an issue decided by a division bench of the same court earlier), as simple as judicial discipline. The (earlier) division bench has applied its mind to the facts of the case, and taken a decision, we will follow, on (grounds of) judicial discipline, I at least very strictly and seriously follow.' The earlier bench of the high court that imposed the condition comprised Justices C D Singh and Anup Bhambhani. Justice Singh was transferred to the Allahabad High Court in April. In case of a transfer of the case, the bench may include Justice Bhambhani along with another judge, subject to allocation by the Chief Justice. The court has now posted the matter for consideration next on July 31. Rashid, who defeated the incumbent Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the Baramulla seat by over 2 lakh votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, has been lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail since 2019 in a case of alleged terror funding. Rashid was arrested in 2019 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. According to the NIA, he used various public platforms to 'propagate the ideology of separatism and secessionism', was closely associated with various terrorist organisations, and wanted to 'legitimise' the United Jihad Council, a platform of anti-India militant groups in Jammu and Kashmir. On May 30, 2017, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) registered a case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) and various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed and other 'secessionist and separatist' leaders, who, according to the NIA, 'received and collected' funds through hawala channels in 'connivance with active militants of…terrorist organisations Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Dukhtaran-e-Millat, Lashkar-e-Toiba' to fund 'terrorist activities' in Jammu and Kashmir. Rashid was booked as part of this case.
News18
38 minutes ago
- News18
Delhi Police busts counterfeit automobile parts racket; 11 held
New Delhi, Jul 29 (PTI) A large-scale racket operating out of Delhi's Karol Bagh area involved in the manufacturing and distribution of fake automobile spare parts under the branding of reputed international automobile companies has been busted, an official on Tuesday said. He said that raids were conducted on four separate premises in the Karol Bagh area on July 26, leading to the seizure of counterfeit spare parts worth approximately Rs 50 lakh and unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 19 lakh. A total of 11 people, including the alleged kingpin Dheeraj Singh (38), were apprehended, the official said. The gang reportedly sourced low-grade parts at cheap rates from unverified manufacturers, repackaged them with fake branding and distributed them across Delhi-NCR, falsely claiming the parts to be Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) surplus or export rejects. Most of the transactions were conducted in cash and through untraceable UPI accounts, using fake invoices to avoid detection, police said. In some cases, the group also used online marketplaces and classified ads to sell the fake parts under the guise of genuine spares, they said. 'The seized materials include over one lakh duplicate spare parts such as brake pads, filters, clutch plates, and spark plugs, along with 200 bottles of counterfeit branded engine oils, forged packaging, stickers, holograms, printing equipment and Rs 19 lakh in cash," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Crime, Aditya Gautam. The operation targeted four properties in Nai Walan, Guru Nanak Market, Subhash Mohalla and Pusha Lane in Karol Bagh, police said. The raiding teams apprehended individuals involved in various roles — from storage and packaging to branding and supply of counterfeit parts, they said. Among those arrested is Dheeraj, believed to be the kingpin, who has been involved in the illegal trade for the past four years, police said. 'The other key players include Amit Singh, who handled logistics and accounting; Dipankar Nagpal alias Vicky, who ran a packaging business supplying counterfeit labels and holograms; and Harsh Kumar and Rinku, who managed sales and distribution of fake parts," the DCP said. The counterfeit parts were designed to closely mimic packaging and appearance of genuine branded components, making it difficult for customers or mechanics to distinguish them, police said. Some of the parts — such as brake shoes and pads — are critical to vehicle safety and pose a significant risk to public safety if used, they said. A case was registered at the Crime Branch Police Station on July 27 under relevant sections of the Copyright Act, police said. Further investigation is underway to trace the wider network of suppliers, buyers and financiers associated with the racket, they said. PTI SSJ AS AS view comments First Published: July 29, 2025, 16:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
