Chilling Details Emerge in the Brutal Honeymoon Murder of Indore Businessman Raja Raghuvanshi: 7 Arrested So Far in Multi-State Conspiracy
A gruesome and cold-blooded murder has shocked the nation as more disturbing details surface in the killing of Indore-based transport businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, whose mutilated body was discovered in a remote gorge near Meghalaya’s famed Weisawdong Falls earlier this month.
The crime, planned and executed with chilling precision, has now led to the arrest of seven individuals, including the victim’s wife, in a case that investigators say involves betrayal, deception, and a sinister murder-for-love conspiracy.
The latest arrests were made by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Meghalaya Police, which has been relentlessly pursuing leads across states.
On Saturday night, the SIT apprehended two more accused from Madhya Pradesh, taking the total number of arrests in the case to seven.
Property Dealer and Security Guard Held for Destroying Key Evidence
Among those arrested is Silome James, a property dealer from Indore who also leases out properties. He was picked up at Bhonrasa toll gate in Dewas district while allegedly trying to flee to Bhopal, indicating he had prior knowledge of police surveillance.
James is accused of helping the victim’s wife, Sonam, conceal a box believed to have contained vital evidence — including jewellery, a laptop, and possibly even the firearm used in the crime.
According to East Khasi Hills district SP Vivek Syiem, James led the SIT to the flat at Heera Bagh Colony in Indore, where Sonam had stayed after the murder.
He later admitted to burning the contents of the box, presumably to destroy evidence that could directly link the co-conspirators to the killing.
A forensic team has collected samples from the site, though the firearm, jewellery, and laptop remain missing.
Soon after James’ arrest, the SIT tracked down Balla Ahirwar, a security guard posted at the property, from his native village in the Ashok Nagar district of Madhya Pradesh.
He, too, is believed to have been aware of Sonam’s hideout and the activities involving the concealment and destruction of the box.
Both men are being produced before a court in Indore, after which the SIT will seek transit remand to bring them to Meghalaya for further interrogation.
A Sinister Plot of Betrayal and Murder
The details of the case are deeply unsettling. Raja Raghuvanshi, who had just married Sonam on May 11, was killed less than two weeks later while on their honeymoon in Meghalaya.
The couple had arrived in the hill state on May 20. By May 23, both were reported missing. Ten days later, Raja’s mutilated and decomposed body was found thrown into a deep gorge near the remote Weisawdong waterfalls in Sohra (Cherrapunjee), East Khasi Hills district — a location deliberately chosen for its isolation.
The police later confirmed that Raja had been hacked to death with machetes by three men near a secluded parking area. The brutality of the attack left investigators and locals horrified.
According to the SIT, the murder was carried out by three assailants using two sharp-edged weapons, indicating premeditated violence.
What is even more harrowing is that the crime was orchestrated by his wife, who, investigators say, was having a long-term affair with a man named Raj Kushwaha.
Sonam allegedly conspired with Raj and his associates — Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput, and Anand Kurmi — to eliminate her husband so she could start a new life with her lover.
After the murder, Sonam returned quietly to Indore, where she hid in the rented flat leased by property dealer James.
She eventually surrendered on June 8 in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, while the other accused were picked up from different locations in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
The Aftermath and Investigation
All five original accused — Sonam, Raj Kushwaha, and his three friends — are currently in judicial custody in Meghalaya, while James and Ahirwar are set to be transferred to the state for questioning.
The SIT believes that this was a carefully choreographed murder, driven by passion and greed, masked as a romantic honeymoon.
From arranging weapons to selecting a remote location to dump the body, every step appears to have been meticulously planned.
Yet, the suspects underestimated the resolve of the investigating officers, who have since been piecing together the chilling puzzle.
The SIT is continuing its in-depth probe, determined to recover all missing evidence and ensure justice for Raja Raghuvanshi.
The family of the deceased businessman remains in deep mourning, struggling to comprehend the betrayal and the sheer brutality with which Raja was murdered — not by strangers, but by the very person he had married and trusted with his life.
As more revelations surface, this case stands out as one of the most cold-blooded murders in recent times, exposing the dangerous depths of deception, the fragility of human relationships, and the terrifying consequences when love turns into lethal obsession.
