SHILLONG: In a sensational revelation on Thursday, East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem narrated the entire sequence of events leading to the cold-blooded murder of Raja Raghuwanshi, terming it a pre-planned conspiracy orchestrated by Raj Kushwaha, ‘lover’ of the victim’s wife Sonam Raghuwanshi.
Speaking to media persons, SP Syiem dismissed the angle of a contract killing and instead described it as a crime committed by friends as a “favour” to Raj.
“Raj is the mastermind behind Raja’s murder, ” Syiem stated. “He hatched the plot, and Sonam—Raja’s wife—supported him throughout.”
According to police, Raj had planned to make Sonam disappear in February this year. The first plan was to drown her in a river. The second plan involved arranging a woman’s dead body and burning it along with Sonam’s scooty, so that everyone would believe Sonam had died. However, both these plans failed.
On May 11, Sonam married Raja Raghuwanshi. Days later, the couple visited the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati. Meanwhile, Raj’s three friends -- Vishal, Anand, and Akash, one of whom is Raj’s cousin -- had already arrived in Guwahati on May 19.
The trio initially planned to kill Raja in Guwahati, but that attempt also failed. Eventually, Sonam herself suggested shifting the plan to Sohra (Cherrapunji), where the group reconvened.
According to Syiem, all accused met in a parking lot in Sohra. There, the three men murdered Raja and threw his body into a gorge. Sonam was present during the killing.
Timeline of Events:
Around 2:18 PM, all accused fled the crime scene.
Sonam handed her raincoat to Akash to help cover bloodstains on his shirt.
Sonam then rode a scooty out from the scene, later discarding the raincoat at AV Point.
After that, Akash began riding the scooty with Sonam riding pillion.
The rented scooty, booked earlier by Raja, was later dumped by Anand near the Sohra border.
The police investigation revealed that blood stains were found on Akash’s shirt. After discarding the raincoat, Sonam used a taxi from the local stand. She wore a burqa that had been arranged and delivered by Vishal through Raj.
Her escape trail spanned multiple states: from Guwahati to Siliguri by bus, then Patna, Ara, Lucknow, and finally to Indore by bus.
Once the group realised that police had identified them, Raj reportedly told Sonam to leave Indore. SP Syiem said Raj, in a panic, called Sonam and instructed her to contact her family and falsely claim she had escaped from kidnappers.
“All five accused have now been arrested. Interrogations are ongoing, and the crime scene will be recreated soon, ” SP Syiem concluded.