A Meghalaya court on Tuesday granted bail to Indore resident Sonam Raghuvanshi, who is accused of plotting the murder of her husband Raj Raghuvanshi, during their honeymoon in the northeastern state last year.
Her husband went missing on May 23 while the couple was on their honeymoon and his mutilated body was later discovered on June 2 near a waterfall in the Sohra area of East Khasi Hills district. Sonam, along with many others, including her alleged boyfriend, were held in connection with the case.
“The court granted bail to the accused. However, necessary legal procedures are being followed and the police will continue to look into the matter as per law,” SP Vivek Syiem was quoted as saying by PTI.
Meghalaya Honeymoon Murder Case: What Happened Recently?
Two people arrested for allegedly tampering with evidence in the Raja murder case in Meghalaya’s Sohra last year were not named in the new chargesheet as the charges against them could not be proved during the investigation, police said in February.
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Both the accused, Balbir Ahirbar and Lokendra Singh Tomar, were taken into custody on suspicion of destroying evidence in the case and are currently out on bail, East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said. He added that while the arrests were made on suspicion, a detailed investigation did not substantiate the charges against them.
“The final report found that they played no role, which led to their discharge in the case and hence their names were not mentioned in the charge sheet,” Syiem reported to PTI.
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He said police had filed a second charge sheet in the case, which involved only one of the three people previously arrested for allegedly tampering with evidence.
Raja Raghuvanshi Murder Case
Raja and Sonam Raghuvanshi got married on 11 May 2025 and left Indore for their honeymoon on 20 May. On May 22, the couple reached Mawlakhiat village near Cherrapunji (Sohra) and walked down nearly 3,000 steps to the famous two-story living root bridge at Nongriat, where they stayed overnight.
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The next morning, May 23, they checked out of home and started their journey back to Mawlakhiat. After leaving Nongriat, no one reported seeing the couple in person, and all contact with them was lost later that day.
Raja Raghuvanshi, a resident of Madhya Pradesh, was allegedly killed last May in a remote area near Wei Sawdong Falls in Meghalaya’s Sohra area of East Khasi Hills district.
His decomposed body was later found in a deep ravine on June 2 after an extensive search operation. Police said Raja and his wife Sonam, who were newlyweds at the time, had traveled to Meghalaya on what was described as a honeymoon-cum-holiday trip.
Investigators accused Sonam of planning and carrying out the murder before fleeing the state. According to PTI quoting police sources, the crime was believed to be related to a love triangle as well as financial disputes. The accused were also said to have attempted to destroy evidence and dispose of the body in an attempt to cover up the crime.
