Meghalaya Murder Case: Family Demands Death Penalty for Wife and Four Others
After the Meghalaya Police filed a chargesheet in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, his family in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore has demanded capital punishment for the prime accused, including his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi, her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha, and three hired hitmen.
Speaking to reporters, Raja’s brother Vipin Raghuvanshi said, “Our only demand is that all five accused, including Sonam, Raj Kushwaha and others should get death sentence.”
On Saturday, the Meghalaya Police filed a 790-page chargesheet in the Sohra subdivision court against the five accused: Akash Singh Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Anand Kurmi, who were allegedly hired to kill Raja, a businessman from Indore during his honeymoon with Sonam in the northeastern state in May.
The five accused have been charged under Sections 103(1) (murder), 238(a) (causing disappearance of evidence), and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Vivek Syiem, Superintendent of Police of Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district, said a supplementary chargesheet will be filed against three other men—Lokendra Tomar, Balvir Ahirwar alias Balla, and Silome James—who were later arrested from Madhya Pradesh for allegedly destroying evidence.
Vipin Raghuvanshi said he is yet to see the chargesheet but expressed satisfaction with the Meghalaya Police’s investigation. He plans to travel to Shillong on Monday to obtain a copy.
Raja and Sonam reached Shillong on May 21 for their honeymoon but were reported missing on May 26 from a homestay in Sohra. After an extensive search, Raja’s body was recovered from a deep gorge near the Weisawdong Falls on June 2.
On June 8 and 9, all five main accused, including Sonam who was initially presumed missing, were arrested from parts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Meghalaya Police.
According to police, the three hitmen killed Raja in front of Sonam, who was in a relationship with Kushwaha. The five accused allegedly conspired to eliminate Raja during the honeymoon trip.
