As Sonam and Raja’s families come face to face, police probe unearths more details of honeymoon murder

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.