Shocking Murder Conspiracy Unveiled: How a Love Affair Led to a Cold-Blooded Crime
Murder Plot Exposed in Shillong
Shillong: In a shocking turn of events, East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem detailed the chilling murder of Raja Raghuwanshi, attributing it to a calculated scheme led by Raj Kushwaha, who was romantically involved with the victim's wife, Sonam Raghuwanshi.
During a press briefing, SP Syiem rejected the notion of a contract killing, labeling the act as a crime committed by acquaintances as a 'favor' to Raj.
"Raj orchestrated Raja's murder," Syiem asserted. "He devised the plan, with Sonam fully complicit throughout the process."
Authorities revealed that Raj had initially intended to make Sonam vanish in February, with plans to either drown her or stage her death using a corpse, but both strategies failed.
On May 11, Sonam married Raja Raghuwanshi, and shortly after, the couple visited the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati. Meanwhile, Raj's accomplices—Vishal, Anand, and Akash—arrived in Guwahati on May 19.
The group initially aimed to kill Raja in Guwahati, but that attempt was unsuccessful. Eventually, Sonam proposed relocating the plan to Sohra (Cherrapunji), where they regrouped.
According to Syiem, the suspects convened in a Sohra parking lot, where they murdered Raja and disposed of his body in a gorge, with Sonam present during the act.
Sequence of Events:
At approximately 2:18 PM, the suspects fled the scene. Sonam gave her raincoat to Akash to conceal bloodstains on his shirt before leaving on a scooter, later discarding the raincoat at AV Point.
Akash then took over the scooter, with Sonam riding as a passenger. The scooter, rented by Raja, was later abandoned by Anand near the Sohra border.
Investigators found blood on Akash's shirt. After discarding the raincoat, Sonam took a taxi while wearing a burqa provided by Vishal through Raj.
Her escape route spanned several states, traveling from Guwahati to Siliguri by bus, then to Patna, Ara, Lucknow, and finally Indore.
When the group learned that police were closing in, Raj allegedly instructed Sonam to leave Indore and to falsely inform her family that she had escaped from kidnappers.
"All five suspects have been apprehended. Ongoing interrogations are taking place, and a reconstruction of the crime scene is planned soon," concluded SP Syiem.