The brutal murder of Raja Raghuvanshi during his honeymoon in Meghalaya was carried out by three men — all friends of his wife’s alleged lover — and involved the use of two machetes, the Meghalaya Police confirmed following a detailed recreation of the crime scene on Tuesday, June 17.
The incident occurred on May 23 near the Wei Sawdong Falls in East Khasi Hills district, just 12 days after Raja’s wedding in Indore. His body was thrown into a gorge and recovered only on June 2.
Raja’s wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, was present at the time of the murder, along with the three accused men — Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Anand Kurmi — all reportedly close friends of Raj Kushwaha, Sonam’s alleged lover and an employee in the family’s business. Sonam and her alleged boyfriend were arrested on June 8-9 from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
A SIT took all five accused — including Sonam and Raj — to multiple locations connected to the case, including Mawlakhiat and the scenic Wei Sawdong falls, where the crime was committed.
“The first blow was by Vishal Chauhan, the second by Anand Kurmi and the last one was by Akash Thakur. We recreated the entire sequence of events at the same time of day as the incident. We went to the exact viewpoint where the murder took place. We verified each person’s position and role. Not one, but two machetes were used in the attack. We are still searching for the second weapon,” said East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem.
According to police, Sonam gave the signal for the attack. The first blow was delivered by Vishal, causing Raja to collapse. “She has confessed to her role. Today’s reconstruction confirmed where she stood and how she participated. The attack was pre-planned, and her phone was destroyed to eliminate evidence,” SP Syiem added.
One of the accused, Akash, allegedly threw his blood-stained white shirt into the same gorge where Raja’s body was dumped. The killers reportedly chose Wei Sawdong for its remote location, knowing the area would be deserted. None of the accused had previously visited Meghalaya.
“The investigation is ongoing, and more people may be brought in for questioning,” Syiem added.
The case has sent shockwaves across the country due to its chilling details and the apparent betrayal involved.
