How A Taxi Driver's Refusal To Take Burqa-Clad Sonam Without Identity Card Led To Her Surrender At Ghazipur Dhaba

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Hidden beneath a burqa, Sonam Raghuvanshi silently left Indore in a taxi at 4:10 am on June 8. She was headed to Ballia-- a district in Uttar Pradesh – near Bihar border. The distance was approximately 1,100km.

The escape plan was perfect. The taxi had two drivers who were to take turn to drive without stopping. Reason: Sonam wanted to avoid detection while implementing the post-Raja murder plan. Another taxi was waiting in Ballia for her.

One of the two drivers Pramod Saha alias Piyush was an old acquaintance of Raj Kushwaha – the alleged master-mind of the honeymoon murder plan.

“We were asked to drive non-stop to ensure that Sonam reaches Ballia on time, where another taxi was waiting for further journey,” he told cops.

However, the meticulously devised plan failed in Ballia. The driver of the second taxi refused to continue with the onward journey due to Sonam’s inability to furnish valid documents for identification.

Finding herself in mid of nowhere, Sonam called Piyush. The latter returned and drove her to Ghazipur, where she eventually gave herself up at roadside dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur highway.

Piyush spilled the beans about Sonam’s escape plan and route during interrogation by Meghalaya SIT at Indore’s crime branch police station.

“I failed to recognize her as she was wearing a burqa. She insisted on being driven non-stop to Ballia. Throughout the journey, she was constantly talking to someone on mobile phone,” he told the cops.

Later in the evening, East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem held a press conference in Shillong and said, “The SIT team and MP Police have identified the Ertiga driver. She was to be taken to Ballia, and another taxi was arranged from there. However, the driver in Ballia refused to undertake the journey as Sonam was not carrying any valid documents.”

He further said, “Exasperated Sonam called the driver, Pramod Saha alias Piyush, who had brought her to Ballia. Piyush returned and later took her to Ghazipur.”