Meghalaya murder: Sonam Raghuvanshi offered Rs 20 lakhs to get husband killed, helped push body into gorge

NDTV, citing top police sources, reported that Sonam even helped the contract killers in pushing Raghuvanshi's body into a gorge in Meghalaya.

The victim, Raja Raghuvanshi, 29, and his newly married wife, Sonam, 24, had gone missing on May 23.

A week later, Raja's body was recovered from a gorge. A search was conducted for Sonam, who eventually turned up in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur a week later.

According to Meghalaya cops, Sonam was in an extramarital affair and wanted to get rid of Raja. Hence, she plotted the murder.

She planned the murder in connivance with her boyfriend, Raj Kushwaha, and surrendered under pressure on June 8, according to the police. Both were later arrested.

The hitmen hired by Sonam first met with the newlywed couple in Bengaluru, from where they took their connecting flight to the northeast, NDTV reported, quoting sources.

Although her lover Kushwaha did not travel to Meghalaya, Shillong Police sources told the channel that he was involved in the planning behind the scenes and remained in touch with Sonam.

On May 23, Sonam and Raja Raghuvanshi went on a trek to a steep peak to see a waterfall, when the hitmen followed them.

At one point, Sonam pretended to be tired and started walking much behind her husband and the killers, reports said. When they reached a deserted place, Sonam allegedly asked the men to kill her husband.

The killers, however, refused to kill him, saying they were tired, as per the sources. Sonam Raghuvanshi then allegedly raised her offer to 20 lakh, they said.

On June 2, the Meghlaya Police recovered Raja's body, and a day later, they knew his wife was involved in the murder.

The Meghalaya Police has claimed that all those involved in the conspiracy to kill Raja, who hailed from Indore, including Raj Kushwaha, Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput, and Anand Kurmi, have been arrested in the operation that they codenamed 'Operation Honeymoon'.

Sonam, meanwhile, surrendered in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur. She was later placed under arrest.

Raja's family has demanded the harshest possible punishment for the accused, including his wife and her alleged accomplice.