Meghalaya honeymoon murder: Sonam confesses to killing husband Raja Raghuvanshi

Dubai: Precisely a month after her marriage to 29-year-old Raja Raghuvanshi, Sonam Raghuvanshi, 24, has confessed to her role in his murder during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, Indian media reports said quoting sources. The confession, according to sources, was made during police interrogation.

However, under Indian law, confessions made to police officers are not admissible in court. For any such statement to hold evidentiary value, it must be recorded before a magistrate, according to NDTV.

The confession follows the arrest of Sonam and her alleged boyfriend, Raj Kushwaha, earlier this week. Kushwaha, 21, worked at Sonam’s family business and is alleged to have maintained a romantic relationship with her both before and after her marriage to Raja.

News agency IANS quoted sources as saying Sonam admitted to orchestrating the murder when she was questioned by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) earlier in the day.

Her confession was also formally recorded in front of officials from the Meghalaya Police, confirming her direct involvement in the crime, the sources said.

Earlier in the day, five accused -- Sonam Raghuvanshi, her alleged boyfriend Raj Kushwaha, Anand Kurmi, Akash Rajput, and Vishal Singh Chauhan -- were produced in a Shillong court following detailed interrogation by the SIT.

Raja and Sonam got married on May 11 in Indore. Ten days later, they departed for their honeymoon in Meghalaya. By May 23, both had gone missing. Raja's body was discovered on 2 June in a gorge in East Khasi Hills. Sonam surfaced in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur on 8 June, claiming to be unwell. She surrendered to local police and was placed under arrest.

According to the SIT, contract killers Akash, Anand and Vikash travelled from Indore to Shillong in phases to avoid detection. CCTV footage, train tickets, and Aadhaar card photocopies helped confirm their identities and movements.

Police say the killers joined the couple on a trek on May 23, posing as fellow tourists. A local guide, Albert Pde, told investigators he offered to assist the group but was declined. He recalled the group spoke in Hindi and chose a more remote, rugged path away from the tourist-heavy Double Decker Living Root Bridge.

According to the police, Sonam deliberately lagged behind during the trek and gave the cue by shouting “kill him”. That was when one of the three accused allegedly struck Raja with a sharp weapon. The others joined in, attacking his head and torso. Raja’s body was dragged to a gorge and pushed over.

Sonam allegedly assisted in hiding the body and disposing of incriminating evidence.

From there, she left the scene, took a taxi to Shillong, and is believed to have travelled by train to Indore via Guwahati. The three killers split up and escaped via Guwahati, eventually returning to Madhya Pradesh.

Their movement was traced through CCTV footage, train ticket bookings, and Aadhaar card photocopies, which helped authorities confirm their identities and track their route to Meghalaya.

Albert Pde, a local guide, informed the police that he had offered assistance to the group but was turned down.

He also noted that the group was conversing in Hindi and deliberately opted for a remote and rugged trekking trail, away from the popular tourist area of the Double Decker Living Root Bridge.

Sonam Raghuvanshi was arrested after she surrendered at the Nandganj police station in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur district in the early hours of Monday.

Her surrender followed days of intense pressure mounted by a coordinated, multi-state police operation involving law enforcement agencies from Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.

According to the police, Sonam plotted her husband's murder and hired contract killers to execute the plan while on their honeymoon.

The other accused were nabbed during a series of raids conducted by police teams across Madhya Pradesh.