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What began as a honeymoon for newlywed couple Raja Raghuvanshi and Sonam Raghuvanshi from Madhya Pradesh's Indore turned into a horrifying murder mystery in Meghalaya. The investigation by Meghalaya Police into this sensational case unfolded like a crime thriller.
Here’s how the foolproof murder plan by Sonam Raghuvanshi and her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha failed — and how police uncovered the truth step by step.
The story begins with a honeymoon
Raja Raghuvanshi and Sonam Raghuvanshi got married on May 11, 2025, in Indore. Nine days later, on May 20, they left for their honeymoon. The couple originally planned to go to Kashmir, but after reports of terror attacks, they chose the scenic destination of Meghalaya instead. The couple had reached Mawlakhiyat village on a rented scooter on May 22. They parked their scooter and climbed down over 3,000 steps from the valley to see the famous ‘living roots’ bridges in Nongriat village, where they spent the night at a homestay and left the next morning, officials said.
Mysterious disappearance
On May 23, around 6am, the couple checked out of their homestay and left for sightseeing on a rented scooter. After that, they lost contact with their families.
The couple’s scooter was found abandoned outside a cafe on the road from Shillong to Sohra on May 24, following which the Meghalaya police launched a search and rescue operation. The operation was affected due to heavy rain in Sohra, officials said.
First major clue: Police findings – Raja’s body
On June 2, the Meghalaya Police found Raja’s decomposed body in a deep gorge near the Wei Sawdong waterfall. His face was unrecognisable due to decomposition, but a tattoo on his hand with the name “Raja” confirmed his identity. The post-mortem revealed that Raja was hit twice on the head with a sharp weapon, confirming it was a murder.
The search for Sonam continued.
On June 4, Investigators found additional evidence at the location, including a woman’s white shirt, a strip of medicine, a damaged mobile phone screen, and a smartwatch. A case of homicide was officially registered.
This was the entire plan to kill Raja
Indore’s additional commissioner of Police Rajesh Dandotiya said Raj Kushwaha, 20, the man Sonam, was in a relationship with, planned the murder on May 18 after the couple got married seven days earlier. Kushwaha allegedly hired Vishal Chauhan, Anand Kumar, and Akash Rajput to kill Raja Raghuvanshi.
Sonam convinced her husband to go on a honeymoon to Meghalaya on May 19, and they left the next day.
Sonam and Raj’s big mistake
Everything was going according to Sonam’s plan — until she made a critical mistake. According to the Meghalaya Police, the first clue they found was the machete used in Raja’s murder. A senior officer in the investigation said, “This type of machete is not commonly used in the region, which made us suspect the involvement of someone from outside the area. We then decided to investigate the couple’s call records.”
It was found that just days before the murder, Sonam had been in contact with one of the hired killers, and her last known location before going missing was near his.
Ghazipur SP Iraz Raja said Sonam was arrested from 'Kashi Dhaba' on the Varanasi-Ghazipur main road. She was sent to the Sadar Hospital for treatment and then kept at a one-stop centre, which provides assistance to women in distress, including medical and legal aid.
A dhaba employee told reporters that Sonam had asked for a phone to call her parents in Indore, which led to the Madhya Pradesh Police tracing her location.
Later, Uttar Pradesh Police was contacted, leading to her arrest.
At around 6.30 pm on Monday, a team of Meghalaya Police took Sonam into custody from the one-stop centre.
Although she was apprehended from the eatery, police said Sonam surrendered before the Nandganj police station in Ghazipur district.
"The first person arrested was Rajput from Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh. The second was Chauhan from Indore in Madhya Pradesh. The third was Kushwaha, also from Indore," East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem said at a press conference in Shillong.
