The team is gathering information on the planning of the murder, including the purchase of SIM cards and phones, along with registering statements of witnesses. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Meghalaya Police has gone to Indore in Madhya Pradesh to collect more evidence in the honeymoon murder case of Raja Raghuvanshi.
Raja had travelled to Meghalaya with his wife, Sonam, in May. Days after he went missing, his mutilated body was found in a deep gorge near a waterfall in the Sohra area (also known as Cherrapunji) in East Khasi Hills district. Police have arrested eight people, including Sonam and her suspected lover, Raj Kushwaha. Five accused — Sonam, Raj, Anand Kurmi, Vishal Chauhan, and Akash Rajput — are in jail, while Shilom James, Lokendra Tomar, and Balveer Ahirwar, accused of destroying evidence in the case, have been granted bail.
The team is gathering information on the planning of the murder, including the purchase of SIM cards and mobile phones, along with registering statements of witnesses who were aware of the relationship between Sonam and Raj, police officers said.
The Shillong Police have questioned Raj’s two friends — Bharat Jadhav and Abhishek More — who were in contact with him after the murder. “The police questioned them about what they were talking about over the phone after the murder. How they were aware of the relationship between Sonam and Raj,” an Indore police officer said.
Jadhav and More told the police that Raj lived in their neighbourhood and they spoke normally after the murder, as they were unaware of his involvement in the crime. “They denied any knowledge of their relationship,” the officer added. The SIT also visited the mobile shop in the Banganga area from where Raj had bought two SIM cards. One of these SIM cards was bought using documents belonging to Anand, who is currently in jail.
The SIT is expected to file a chargesheet by the first week of September. A week prior, bail petitions were filed by all the accused. Raja’s family lawyer had appeared before the court and opposed the bail. Raja got married to Sonam on May 11 and left for Meghalaya on May 20. A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) drone spotted Raja’s body at the base of a gorge on June 2. Meghalaya Police arrested the accused on June 9.
