SHILLONG, June 29: Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Meghalaya Police on Sunday recovered crucial evidence, including a missing gold chain belonging to the victim, Raja Raghuvanshi, during a raid in Ratlam district of Madhya Pradesh.
The raid was carried out at the residence of Silom James, an arrested property dealer believed to have played a key role in the aftermath of the murder. The operation led to the seizure of gold jewellery, laptops, and other electronic devices belonging to Raja and his wife Sonam, East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem confirmed.
“The electronic devices and documents seized hold significant evidentiary value and may shed further light on the May 23 murder involving Sonam Raghuvanshi and her lover Raj Kushwaha,” Syiem said.
The SIT team, led by sub-inspectors Anthony Khongsit and Karan Pachua, coordinated the raid with support from Alkapuri Police Station in MP. The recovered items are expected to be sent for forensic analysis.
Raja’s decomposed body was recovered on June 2 near Weisawdong Falls, ten days after he and his wife went missing while on a trip to Sohra. Investigations have since exposed a well-planned murder orchestrated by Sonam and her lover Raj Kushwaha, who had travelled to Meghalaya along with three accomplices posing as tourists.
According to the police, Raja and Sonam rented a scooter from Keatinge Road on May 22 and travelled to Sohra. After failing to secure a homestay, they spent the night in Nongriat village after trekking down 3,000 steps from Mawlakhiat.
The next morning, the couple began their steep return ascent, unaware that three men from Indore—friends of Raj—were tailing them, waiting to execute the attack.
The SIT stated that video footage from a tourist guide and an Instagram user captured the group’s movements, and these recordings later helped identify the suspects.
“This wasn’t a random act. The attack was calculated. Initially, it appeared the hitmen were hired. But we’ve now confirmed they were close friends of Raj and carried out the killing as a favour to Sonam,” said SP Vivek Syiem.
The accused had procured machetes from Guwahati before travelling to Shillong on May 21. On May 23 around 11 am, the group reached a secluded spot near Weisawdong Falls where Raja was ambushed and hacked to death. His body was dumped into a gorge. Sonam fled the scene by taxi shortly after.
Arrests and chilling details
Sonam was arrested in Uttar Pradesh on June 9, while Raj and the three accomplices were picked up from Indore. Sonam’s mangalsutra and ring were recovered from a homestay in Sohra, further implicating her.
Director General of Police I Nongrang, who is personally monitoring the investigation, remarked on the sinister nature of the case.
“We are looking at all possible angles. It’s unusual for such deep animosity to develop within days of marriage,” Nongrang said.
Sonam and Raja had reportedly married only shortly before the trip.
The scenic town of Sohra, known globally as the wettest place on earth, has now become the unlikely backdrop to a brutal crime of betrayal and deception.
Investigations continue.
