5 accused, including Sonam remanded to 8-day police custody in Raja Raghuvanshi murder case

Shillong: The court has remanded all five key accused, including Sonam Raghuvanshi, to eight-day police custody in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, police said on Wednesday.

SIT chief and SP (City), East Khasi Hills, Herbert Pyniaid Kharkongor confirmed the same after all the accused were presented before the District Court.

The accused, Raja Rahuvanshi’s wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, Raj Singh Kushwaha, Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan and Anand, were then brought back to the Shillong Sadar Police Station.

This development comes as the police continue their probe into the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi, whose body was discovered in a gorge near Sohra, close to Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, on June 2.

Raja was on his honeymoon with his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, to the northeastern state in May, 2025. Both had been reported missing earlier during the trip.

Following the discovery of Raja’s body, Sonam was located near a roadside dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur highway. She, along with four others, has been accused in connection with the alleged murder.

Earlier in the day, Sonam Raghuvanshi’s brother, Govind, made a shocking statement claiming he’s “100% sure” of his sister’s involvement in the murder of her husband.

During a press conference here, Govind demanded severe punishment for Sonam on the matter and stated that she should be hanged if found guilty. He further publicly distanced himself and his family from his sister, noting that he had apologised to Raja’s family as they lost their son and said that he would do anything to make amends for his sister’s actions.

“According to the evidence found so far, I am 100 per cent sure that she has committed this murder… All the accused in this case are related to Raj Kushwaha… I am no one to ask for forgiveness from the (Raja’s) family. But I have apologised but this family had lost their son… We have broken our ties with Sonam and now I have become a part of the family and I will do everything against Sonam as Raja was very close to me,” Govind stated.

“If Sonam is guilty, she should be hanged,” he added.

Govind also pointed to the close ties between Sonam and one of the accused, revealing details about Sonam’s relationship with Kushwaha.

“Raj Kushwaha always used to call Sonam ‘Didi’ and his family is saying the same thing… For the last three years, Sonam has been tying a rakhi to Raj Kushwaha,” Govind stated.

“Sonam does not considered herself guilty. There has been no contact between us… We have severed all ties with her… I will fight on behalf of Raja (Raghuvanshi),” he added.

Kiran Raghuvanshi, Sister-in-law of Raja Raghuvanshi revealed that Sonam had two phones and used them to constantly send messages.

“Sonam had two phones, she used to tell us that one of those was for her office purposes and the other for her personal usage…I didn’t see her regularly speaking over phone but she used to keep sending messages over the phone. She always had her phone with her…I demand that she be hanged at the earliest…We have lost a loved one, nothing can satisfy us. He (Govind – Sonam’s brother) did apologise to us and told us that if her sister is at fault, she should be hanged…But as far as I am concerned, we do not need anyone’s apology; she should be hanged,” she said.

The Superintendent of Police (SP) of Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills, Vivek Syiem, also revealed that there is adequate evidence pointing to the involvement of Sonam Raghuvanshi in the murder, emphasising that a conclusive confirmation would only emerge after thorough interrogation of those who were involved.

“Investigation is going on; we have to confirm a lot of things. There is evidence against her (Sonam Raghuvanshi) of her involvement in the murder. But things will be clearer after the interrogation. We have to tie up a lot of loose ends… Our evidence has proven that she was very much involved, but after the interrogation, we can only confirm,” SP Syiem stated.