Murder in Meghalaya: Mystery man adds dark twist to Sonam Raghuwanshi’s husband’s death

It was a romantic honeymoon but ended in betrayal, blood, and handcuffs. When Sonam Raghuvanshi turned herself in at a UP police station, the narrative collapsed. “She ordered her husband’s murder,” said Meghalaya’s DGP, as the case took a stunning turn.

Indore couple Raja and Sonam Raghuvanshi had been married just days when they left for a honeymoon trip through Bengaluru and Guwahati, finally reaching Meghalaya. But on June 2, Raja’s body was found in a gorge—robbed, stabbed, and abandoned. His bride was missing.

That bride, Sonam, surrendered on Monday at the Nandganj police station in Uttar Pradesh. She has since been arrested for allegedly hiring three men to kill her husband. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma confirmed the breakthrough on X, calling it a “major success.”

“She gave the contract to have him killed,” said Meghalaya DGP Idashisha Nongrang. Two of the accused were arrested in Indore; one was caught in UP. Another suspect remains at large.

But what drove Sonam to destroy her own marriage? Police suspect an affair. A man named Raj Kushwaha—an employee at Sonam’s father’s mica factory—has emerged as a central figure. Reports allege Sonam and Raj were romantically involved before the marriage, and that their relationship continued in secret. Sonam worked as an HR officer, Raj as a manager, they added.

Initially, police believed Raja was the victim of a robbery gone wrong. His gold chain, ring, watch, and a diamond bracelet were missing. But when a woman’s white shirt turned up near the body—and CCTV showed Sonam repeatedly distancing herself from Raja during the trip—the theory shifted.

What began as a missing-person case exploded into a suspected contract killing, complete with love, lies, and hired blades. “The story has changed completely,” Sangma said. And the hunt isn’t over—authorities are still chasing the final accused.