Shillong/Guwahati/Indore: A sacred symbol of marriage became the silent witness to a sinister plot of betrayal and murder, helping Meghalaya Police unravel the chilling mystery behind the brutal killing of 29-year-old Raja Raghuvanshi, a newlywed who embarked on what was meant to be the happiest trip of his life — his honeymoon.
Instead, what began as a romantic journey turned into a well-orchestrated execution allegedly masterminded by the person he trusted the most — his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, 25.
The Honeymoon That Hid a Deadly Secret
Raja and Sonam, married on May 11 in Indore, reached Meghalaya on May 20 to explore the scenic northeastern landscapes, following Sonam’s insistence on visiting the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati before consummating their marriage.
What Raja didn’t know was that the temple visit was merely a delay tactic, part of a diabolical plan to ensure his death in the secluded jungles of the Northeast.
By May 22, the couple had reached Sohra (Cherrapunjee) in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district. With no prior booking, they were unable to find accommodation and decided to trek to Nongriat, known for its iconic double-decker root bridges.
They left their luggage — including a suitcase containing Sonam’s mangalsutra and wedding ring — at a homestay, planning to return after the grueling 3,000-step journey.
It was this abandoned mangalsutra, a necklace traditionally worn by married Hindu women as a symbol of their marital commitment, that later raised suspicions among investigators.
“A married woman leaving behind her wedding ornaments made us look at her as more than a missing person,” DGP I Nongrang said, referring to the moment police began piecing together a web of deceit.
A Body in the Gorge, and a Woman on the Run
On June 2, Raja’s lifeless body was discovered in a gorge near Weisawdong Falls, his promising young life extinguished in the shadows of the wilderness. For days, Sonam remained untraceable—until June 9, when she surfaced over 1,200 km away in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, and surrendered to police.
By then, investigators had already cracked the case wide open. Sonam, police allege, had plotted Raja’s murder with her lover, 20-year-old Raj Kushwaha, her father’s employee — a man she had known intimately long before her marriage. The two, along with three contract killers, were arrested the same day.
In a cruel twist of fate, Raja’s honeymoon — a journey meant to build memories — became the setting for his murder. The killers, police say, had arrived in Guwahati on May 21, purchased a machete, and traveled to Shillong, where they met Sonam. She remained in constant touch with Raj, who coordinated the hit.
The Murder Scene and a Chilling Confession
Due to a large tourist presence in Nongriat on May 22–23, the planned killing was deferred. But by May 23, the group regrouped and headed toward Weisawdong Falls — a location secluded enough to carry out the act. Raja was allegedly attacked and murdered in cold blood in Sonam’s presence, before his body was thrown into the gorge.
After the killing, Sonam took a calculated escape route. She traveled in a taxi from Mawkdok to Shillong, then hired a tourist cab to Guwahati, and boarded multiple trains to likely avoid being tracked. Her claim of heading directly to Indore is still under verification.
The brutality of the act is compounded by the emotional betrayal, not just as a wife, but as someone who weaponized trust, intimacy, and tradition. Raja had reportedly promised to fulfill her spiritual wish before starting their married life, unaware that each step he took with her brought him closer to death.
Family Shock and Shame
Back in Indore, grief hangs heavy over Raja’s family. But perhaps more striking is the emotional rupture in Sonam’s own family. Her brother, Govind, visited the Raghuvanshi family to apologize in person.
“I met Sonam in Ghazipur for just two minutes. Her expression, her silence — I knew she was guilty,” Govind said. He went on to state that the family has disowned Sonam completely, vowing to support Raja’s family in their quest for justice.
He also revealed that Raj Kushwaha, the alleged lover, was known to the family as a “brother figure” to Sonam. “He used to call her didi, and she even tied him rakhi,” Govind added, underscoring the depth of betrayal and manipulation that seems to have surrounded this relationship.
Justice Awaits
All five accused — Sonam, Raj Kushwaha, and the three hired killers — have been remanded to eight-day police custody by a Shillong court, as police continue to unravel the finer threads of this gruesome tale.
The shocking revelations, cold planning, and emotional deceit behind Raja’s death have left the country stunned from the sacred halls of Kamakhya Temple to the misty jungles of Sohra, the journey that was supposed to sanctify a union ended in bloodshed — with a mangalsutra lying quietly in a suitcase, speaking the loudest truth of all.
