‘My daughter is innocent’, says father of M.P. woman accused of hiring men to kill husband

Sonam Raghuvanshi, the Indore woman accused of plotting her husband’s murder during their honeymoon in Meghalaya on June 9, 2025. | Photo Credit: PTI

The father of an Indore-based woman, who has been accused of hiring men to kill her husband during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, on Monday (June 9, 2025) claimed his daughter was "100% innocent" and demanded a CBI probe into the matter.

A relative of deceased local transport businessman Raja Raghuvanshi also said they cannot believe his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi was behind his murder, but if she is proved guilty, she should be given the harshest punishment.

He said Ms. Sonam Raghuvanshi made a video call to her brother on Sunday (June 8, 2025) night following which Raja Raghuvanshi's family informed the Uttar Pradesh police about her presence in that State.

Indore resident Raja Raghuvanshi was allegedly killed by men hired by his wife during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, DGP I. Nongrang said on Monday (June 9, 2025) morning.

Speaking to PTI, she said the woman surrendered before the police in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, while three other assailants were arrested in overnight raids.

Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife went missing while vacationing in Meghalaya's Sohra area on May 23. His body was found in a gorge on June 2.

Ms. Sonam Raghuvanshi's father, however, refuted the police's claims.

"My daughter is 100% innocent. We demand a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation [CBI] into the case," Ms. Sonam Raghuvanshi's father Devi Singh Raghuvanshi told reporters.

"The Meghalaya police are giving false statements about my daughter because the State Government's image is getting tarnished due to Raja Raghuvanshi's murder case," he alleged. He further claimed the Meghalaya police have no evidence against his daughter that she gave a contract to get her husband killed.

Meanwhile, Raja Raghuvanshi's brother Vipin Raghuvanshi said, "Sonam made a video call to her brother Govind late last night. After this, we called the Uttar Pradesh police and informed them about Sonam being in their State."

"Until the alleged contract killers are confronted with Sonam, we cannot believe that she had hired them to kill her husband," he said. “If Sonam is found guilty in the murder of her husband, then she should get the harshest punishment,” he added.

The name of a person named Raj Kushwaha has surfaced in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case.

Ms. Sonam's father, who runs a business of Sunmica sheets used in furniture, said a person named Raj Kushwaha is associated with his establishment and till the day before yesterday he was working at his warehouse.

"Kushwaha's name is being wrongly linked with my daughter Sonam. The Meghalaya police are making false allegations against my daughter to save their skin. I will send a legal notice to the Meghalaya police. I want the CBI to investigate the entire matter," he said.

After their marriage on May 11, Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife left for Meghalaya on May 20 for their honeymoon.

They arrived at Mawlakhiat village in the north-eastern State on May 22 on a rented scooter. On May 24, their scooter was found abandoned at a cafe along the road from Shillong to Sohra, following which the search for them began.

Published - June 09, 2025 04:12 pm IST