Mother of Murder Victim Demands Justice in Meghalaya Honeymoon Case
Call for Justice from Raja Raghuvanshi's Family
On Tuesday, Uma Raghuvanshi, the mother of Raja Raghuvanshi, expressed her anguish and called for justice, insisting that those responsible should face life imprisonment. "I seek justice for my son. The perpetrators deserve the death penalty," she stated.
Uma believes that the crime involved multiple individuals, asserting that it was unlikely for one person to have executed such a plan alone. She reflected on her daughter-in-law, Sonam Raghuvanshi, saying, "We were excited to welcome her into our family and chose to overlook her past, focusing instead on the future. Raja was genuinely happy in his marriage."
#WATCH | Indore, MP: Raja Raghuvanshi's mother Uma Raghuvanshi says, "... I want justice for my son. The accused should be strictly punished... More people can be involved... We were so happy to welcome her into the family that we didn't think about the worst that could happen... pic.twitter.com/ISydnJaRuf
— Media Channel (@MediaChannel) June 10, 2025
The last communication she had with her son and daughter-in-law was on May 23, and she had no reason to suspect anything was amiss until the tragic end. Meanwhile, Vipin Raghuvanshi, Raja's brother, has made new allegations against Sonam, claiming she staged her surrender and that more than five people were involved in the murder.
Vipin also accused Sonam's mother of withholding information from their family, suggesting she was aware of an affair between Raj Kushwaha and Sonam.
On Tuesday, Anand, the fourth suspect in the murder case, was placed in transit remand for seven days. Three other suspects—Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Raj Singh Kushwaha—were remanded for the same duration on Monday. Additional DCP Rajesh Dandotiya confirmed that Anand was brought in by Shillong Police and will be presented in court for further proceedings.
The police stated that all four suspects will be taken to Shillong for further investigation. Anand resides in Indore, while the other three are friends of Raj Kushwaha. Raj worked as an accountant at Sonam's office, while Vishal and Anand were students, and Akash was unemployed. None of them have prior criminal records, and they are all aged between 20 and 25.
The Shillong Police have conducted all interrogations. Following the completion of transit remand procedures, the suspects will be transported to Shillong. Sonam Raghuvanshi, the victim's wife, and Raj Kushwaha are identified as the main suspects. The Meghalaya Police transported Sonam to the Phulwari Sarif police station in Patna after securing her three-day transit remand.
Earlier, the Meghalaya Police obtained transit remand for three suspects in the murder case of Raja Raghuvanshi, who was allegedly killed during a honeymoon trip in Meghalaya by contract killers reportedly hired by his wife. A senior police official from Uttar Pradesh reported that Sonam was located near a roadside eatery on the Varanasi-Ghazipur highway and was subsequently placed in a protective center before being taken for a medical examination.
Meghalaya's Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong confirmed the arrest of four individuals linked to Raja Raghuvanshi's murder. He informed the media on June 9, shortly after Sonam surrendered, that authorities are still searching for one additional suspect. Tynsong noted that Sonam voluntarily turned herself in, and all apprehended individuals would be brought to Shillong for further investigation.
Herbert Pyniaid Kharkongor, Chief of the Meghalaya Special Investigation Team (SIT), revealed that the post-mortem report indicated Raja sustained two head injuries. Raja and Sonam, both from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, had gone missing during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, where Raja's body was later discovered.