Honeymoon murder: Sonam Raghuvanshi’s blood-stained raincoat and other damning pieces of evidence found by police

A special investigation team (SIT) of the Meghalaya Police, which is probing the murder of an Indore-based businessman, Raja Raghuvanshi, is likely to reconstruct the crime scene at Sohra in East Khasi Hills district with his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi and other accused.

Sonam is accused of plotting Raja’s murder with her alleged boyfriend Raj Kushwaha and three hired hitmen.

The Meghalaya Police, under its special investigation codenamed 'Operation Honeymoon', unravelled the crime mystery after collecting a trail of digital footprints, blood-stained clothes and CCTV visuals. 

READ | Sonam Raghuvanshi brought to Shillong, to be produced in court

The SIT has collected several pieces of physical evidence which included a blood-stained shirt belonging to two of the accused—Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi—and Sonam’s raincoat which also bore traces of blood.

Police have also recovered the murder weapon—a curved blade—and sent it for forensic examination. They are also examining the fingerprints of the accused collected from various surfaces. The digital devices, including mobile phones, seized from the suspects have also been sent for detailed examination.

The investigators have examined CCTV footage from at least 42 locations to track the movements of Sonam and other accused individuals.

Other pieces of evidence collected by the SIT included the statements of hotel owners confirming the bookings by the accused, and a shopkeeper who allegedly sold the weapon used in the crime.

The investigators also examined the flight tickets and other documents of the accused to assess their travel timeline.

According to police, the three suspected hired killers have verbally confessed to the crime during the preliminary interrogation.

READ | ‘Sonam Raghuvanshi came back to Indore and stayed in flat for three days before surrendering’

Raja’s body was recovered from a deep gorge near Sohra on June 2, days after the couple, who were on a honeymoon in the northeast state, went “missing” on May 23.

Sonam later surrendered before the Uttar Pradesh Police in Ghazipur on June 9 after the arrest of her lover Raj Kushwaha and other accused—Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi.

All five suspects have been brought to Shillong and will be produced before a local court on Wednesday.

"The SIT team that brought Sonam arrived shortly before midnight. She was taken to a hospital here to ascertain whether she was pregnant or not. She will be produced before a court here," a senior police officer told news agency PTI.

The SIT has secured a six-day remand for the accused persons from Indore and that of three days for one arrested from Ghazipur.