Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Sonam Raghuvanshi, a newlywed from Indore, has confessed to plotting and executing her husband Raja Raghuvanshi’s murder, said sources in SIT. The confession, made during SIT interrogation, is not legally admissible unless recorded before a magistrate, but it offers a disturbing insight into what police now believe was a premeditated crime masked as a romantic getaway.
Sources say Sonam admitted she planned the murder in Indore and roped in her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha along with three childhood friends — Akash Rajput, Vishal Chauhan, and Anand Kurmi — as hired accomplices. Raj stayed put in Indore to avoid suspicion and acted as a conduit between the killer trio and Sonam.
The rest headed to Shillong through different route to avoid raising any suspicion. However, CCTV footage, train tickets, and Aadhaar details gave them away.
On May 23, the killers joined the couple on a less-travelled trekking route near the Double Decker Living Root Bridge. A local guide, Albert Pde, later confirmed seeing them together and noted they spoke in Hindi. He had offered help, but they declined and insisted on taking the rougher trail.
According to investigators, Sonam used the pretext of a scenic photo spot to lure Raja toward a gorge. When he hesitated, one of the assailants struck him with a sharp weapon, and the group, including Sonam, pushed him to his death.
All five accused were taken to Shillong and presented in court. What began as a journey of love ended in betrayal, leaving behind grieving families — and a confession echoing through the misty forests where Raja’s life was taken.
