'Maa, ghumne ke chakkar mein vrat thodi tod dungi': Sonam Raghuvanshi's soft voice that masked Raja's murder in motion

NEW DELHI: As the sun dipped behind the misty hills of Meghalaya on May 23, Uma Raghuvanshi made a phone call she would dread for the rest of her life. Her newly-wed son Raja and his wife Sonam were on honeymoon in Shillong and Uma was simply concerned about their wellbeing.It was Gyaras, a sacred fasting day and the devout mother-in-law had hoped Sonam might eat something while hiking. What she got instead was a gentle refusal — and a faintly breathless voice on the other end of the line.“Ghumne ke chakkar mein vrat thodi tod dungi,” Sonam said softly. “Just because I’m on a trip doesn’t mean I’ll break my fast.”She mentioned they were trekking to a waterfall and sounded winded — as though she were climbing.

When Uma asked to speak to Raja, Sonam said he was walking ahead and had left his phone in her bag. "That was the last time we ever tried to talk to her," Uma said, her voice shaking. "I could never have imagined that the daughter-in-law, speaking so gently, was actually scouting for a spot to kill my son — perhaps even moments away from doing it."

The calm before the murder

Cops are now trying to demystify the timing of that phone call — a conversation that may hold the key to understanding when and how, Raja Raghuvanshi was murdered.

The couple had just visited the iconic double-decker bridge in Nongrait village and were hiking uphill when the call was placed. Sonam, calm and composed, told Uma she would not break her religious fast. Police are now trying to ascertain whether Raja was already dead during that call — or, more chillingly, being led to his death even as Sonam spoke sweetly to his mother. "That one call haunts us," said a senior officer.

"We now know from interrogations that the murder happened shortly after that phone conversation." ACP Poonamchand Yadav of the crime branch confirmed that the timeline shared by the accused places the killing soon after that call. Investigators believe Sonam was carrying the only mobile phone with her. When Uma asked to speak to Raja, Sonam said, “Raja is walking ahead his phone is in the bag, I’ll get him to call you later.” She was panting, and Uma eventually disconnected the call. Police are now examining call duration, location data, and even the tone of her voice, in what they have described as a “cold-blooded calm before the kill.”