India honeymoon murder twist: How an eyewitness led cops to Raja Raghuvanshi’s killers

Dubai: A statement from a local tourist guide — believed to be the last person to see Raja Raghuvanshi alive — sparked a murder investigation that has since spiralled into one of India’s most sensational true-crime stories.
The killing, dubbed the “honeymoon murder,” involves a young bride, alleged hired hitmen, a secret love affair and a machete attack in Meghalaya’s remote hills.

The last sighting

On the morning of May 23, Raja and Sonam Raghuvanshi — newlyweds from Indore, Madhya Pradesh — were spotted in Mawlakhiat village by Albert Pde, a local guide who had led the couple a day earlier on a trek to the famous ‘living root bridges’ in Nongriat.

Pde told police he saw the couple again — this time accompanied by three men who spoke in Hindi, a detail that led police to suspect the men were not locals.

This tip helped investigators widen their search, which soon uncovered what police now believe was a coldly executed murder plot.

The plot unfolds

According to police, Sonam allegedly orchestrated her husband’s killing with the help of her former partner, Raja Kushwaha and three hired killers. The motive, they say, was to eliminate Raja and resume her relationship with Kushwaha.

Three men — Akash, Kushwaha, and Vishal Chauhan — have now been arrested. Akash and Kushwaha were held during a late-night joint operation in Indore, while Chauhan was nabbed from Lalitpur district in Uttar Pradesh.

Police initially named the suspects as Vicky, Akash, and Anand, but later confirmed the identities as Akash, Raja Kushwaha and Vishal Chauhan.

The crime timeline

Raja and Sonam had checked into Shillong’s Shipara Homestay on May 21. Two days later, they were reported missing — the same day Albert Pde saw them with the alleged killers. Their rented blue two-wheeler was later found abandoned near a café in Sohrarim, around 7 km from Mawlakhiat.

A week later, Raja’s body was discovered. Police said he had been hacked to death with a machete. A blood-stained machete and his raincoat were recovered shortly after, cementing suspicions of a violent end.

Sonam disappeared after the murder, vanishing without a trace — until June 8.

Sonam’s arrest and conflicting accounts

Sonam was finally located in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, where she was taken into custody. Meghalaya Police claimed she voluntarily surrendered at Nandganj police station. However, Uttar Pradesh Police reported finding her in distress at a roadside eatery, running a high fever.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), Indore, Rajesh Dandotia, said Sonam was now in safe custody, and legal procedures were underway to transfer her for questioning. “Necessary legal protocols are being followed for her transit and recording of her formal statement,” he said.

Within 24 hours of being detained, Sonam was named the prime suspect in her husband’s murder.

Families deny charges, raise questions

Despite the arrests and mounting evidence, both families have pushed back against the police narrative.

Raja’s brother, Vipul, said the family had not received the post-mortem report. “Until Sonam confesses, we won’t accept this theory. Police say the case is cracked, but we haven’t seen the proof,” he told reporters.

Sonam’s father, Devi Singh, also denied her involvement. “My daughter could never kill her husband,” he insisted, adding that Sonam had arrived at a Ghazipur hotel around 1 a.m. on June 8 and video-called her brother from there at 2am.

He further alleged official negligence. “The Meghalaya government failed to protect my daughter and son-in-law. Now they’re trying to cover up their failure by framing her. They’ve been lying from the beginning,” Singh said.

A case that gripped the nation

With elements of betrayal, murder-for-hire, and a honeymoon gone fatally wrong, the Raghuvanshi case has captivated public attention and drawn comparisons to a Bollywood thriller. As multiple state police teams collaborate to build a watertight case, more details are expected to emerge in the days ahead.