What Led to Sonam Raghuvanshi's Arrest? A Father's Defense Amidst Controversy

Sonam Raghuvanshi's Father Defends Her Amid Murder Allegations

Indore: On Monday, Devi Singh Raghuvanshi, the father of Sonam Raghuvanshi, strongly asserted her innocence, alleging that the Meghalaya Police are attempting to shift blame for their own investigative shortcomings onto her.

Sonam, who had been unaccounted for since the discovery of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi's body in a gorge in Meghalaya, turned herself in at the Nandganj police station in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, early Monday.

The Meghalaya Police claim that she surrendered under duress and has been charged with orchestrating her husband's murder through hired assassins. With her surrender, the total number of arrests in this case has reached four, while one suspect remains at large.

However, her father has dismissed the police's narrative as unfounded.

"She requested a phone from a dhaba owner, who provided her with one. She then called her brother, Govind, who contacted the police around 2 a.m. I haven't spoken to Sonam yet; only Govind has. He informed me that Sonam was found and was in tears," Devi Singh recounted to the media.

He labeled the murder accusations as "false" and accused the Meghalaya Police of fabricating claims to obscure their own mishandling of the investigation.

"The police are making unfounded allegations because they failed to conduct a proper inquiry. Why would she engage in such actions? I firmly believe my daughter is innocent; I know her well," he stated.

Devi Singh has called for a CBI investigation into the matter, asserting that a thorough inquiry would reveal the Meghalaya Police's accountability in the situation.

Meghalaya IGP Dalton P. Marak confirmed Sonam's surrender and arrest during a phone call, stating, "Sonam surrendered under pressure last night, bringing the total number of arrests in the case to four. One suspect is still on the run. She will be returned to Meghalaya for court proceedings."

Uttar Pradesh ADG (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash also verified that Sonam was located at Kashi Dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur main road and was subsequently taken to Sadar Hospital for a preliminary medical check-up. She is currently being housed at the One Stop Centre in the district.

Meghalaya's Chief Minister, Conrad K. Sangma, acknowledged the progress in the investigation.

He shared on X, "A significant breakthrough has been made by the Meghalaya Police in the Raja murder case within just seven days... Three assailants from Madhya Pradesh have been arrested, and a female suspect has surrendered, while efforts continue to apprehend one more suspect."

Raja and Sonam had traveled to Meghalaya for their honeymoon and were exploring various sites when they went missing on May 23.

Ten days later, Raja's body was discovered in a gorge beneath the Weisawdong Parking Lot at Riat Arliang, with a machete believed to be the murder weapon found nearby.

At that time, Sonam was also missing, prompting a multi-state search.