Shillong, June 19 (IANS) The District Sessions Court of Shillong sent Sonam Raghuvanshi and Raj Kushwaha to 2-day police custody, and the other 3 accused – Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan and Anand to 14-day judicial custody in the chilling murder case of Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi who took a trip of Sohra in Meghalaya for a honeymoon with his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi.

Advocate Tushar Chanda told reporters here: “Sonam Raghuvanshi and Raj Kushwaha sent to 2-day police custody, and the other accused to 14-day judicial custody.”

The SIT team of Meghalaya Police presented Sonam Raghuvanshi and other four accused persons in the court on Thursday.

Meanwhile, in a chilling twist to the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi during his honeymoon in Meghalaya, police investigations have revealed that his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused, was in regular contact with her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha — whose name she had saved in her phone as “Sanjay Verma” — before as well as after her marriage.

According to Meghalaya Police, Sonam made and received over 239 calls from the number in just 39 days.

The police confirmed that the so-called Sanjay Verma is, in fact, Raj Kushwaha, who worked as an accountant in the furniture sheet unit owned by Sonam’s family in Indore.

He is now identified as the co-conspirator and the mastermind behind the murder plan.

Police suspect that Sonam deliberately saved Raj’s number under a different name to avoid any suspicion.

His mobile phone has remained switched off since the developments pertaining to the case began unfolding.

Sonam’s brother, Govind, reacting to the revelations, stated: “I don’t know anything about Sanjay Verma. I just got to know that Sanjay’s name is also coming up.”

He further emphasised that the family has cut all ties with Sonam and stands with the victim’s family in their fight for justice.

The murder has sent shockwaves across the country. What initially appeared to be a case of a missing couple took a dark turn when the body of Raja Raghuvanshi was discovered in the forested terrain of Meghalaya, not far from Nongriat village, where the couple was last seen.

The two had checked out from a homestay on May 23, just 12 days after their wedding in Indore, only for Raja’s body to be recovered on June 2.

According to police, Sonam had a long-standing relationship with Raj even before her marriage.

Despite the ongoing affair, she went ahead with the wedding and planned a honeymoon trip to the northeast. But the trip was part of a sinister plot to eliminate Raja.

Police investigations have revealed that Sonam hired three contract killers — Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Anand Kurmi — to carry out the murder.

–IANS

tdr/pgh