Meghalaya Honeymoon Murder: Sonam Raghuvanshi and Raj Kushwaha Placed in 13-Day Judicial Custody

A district and sessions court in Shillong, Meghalaya, has ordered Sonam Raghuvanshi and Raj Kushwaha to serve 13 days of judicial custody in connection with the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi. The Superintendent of Police (SP) of East Khasi Hills district confirmed the judicial remand. The Assistant Public Prosecutor stated that the police did not request custody, leading the court to grant the 13-day judicial custody requested by the Investigating Officer. Previously, the court had remanded the other accused—Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Anand—to 14-day judicial custody. The arrests followed the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi, who was on his honeymoon in Meghalaya. His body was discovered near Sohra (Cherrapunji) on June 2. The couple, residents of Indore, Madhya Pradesh, had gone missing during their honeymoon. As part of the investigation, the police reconstructed the crime scene in Sohra with the accused present. The SP reported that the crime scene reconstruction provided a clear picture of events. The investigation revealed that a machete used in the murder is still missing. The crime scene reconstruction included re-enacting the sequence of events, including the positions of the accused and the victim. The police have determined that Sonam Raghuvanshi and Vishal damaged Raja Raghuvanshi’s phone after the murder, and the circumstances surrounding their departure from the scene. The victim was struck with a weapon by Vishal, and the body was then thrown down the gorge by the accused.