Lagatar24 Desk
Shillong: The chilling honeymoon murder of Raja Raghuvanshi in Meghalaya has taken a decisive turn after police confirmed that “Sanjay Verma,” the mystery man frequently in contact with Sonam Raghuvanshi, was in fact her lover Raj Kushwaha. Authorities revealed that Sonam had saved Raj’s number under a false name to avoid detection, even as they plotted the murder of her husband just days after their wedding.
Over 230 calls exchanged, hidden identity exposed
Call records accessed by investigators showed that between March 1 and April 8—leading up to her marriage—Sonam and “Sanjay Verma” exchanged 234 calls, each lasting between 30 to 60 minutes. This contact continued even after her wedding to Raja on May 11. The couple had gone to Meghalaya for their honeymoon, where Raja went missing on May 23. His body was discovered ten days later.
According to the police, “Sanjay Verma” was a cover name for Raj Kushwaha, an accountant in Sonam’s family-owned furniture business in Indore. Raj and Sonam were in a relationship prior to her arranged marriage. To execute their plan, Sonam hired three hitmen and had her cousin, Jitendra Raghuvanshi, pay the first installment to them. The killers were later identified as Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Anand Kurmi.
Hitmen arrested, Sonam surrendered
On June 8, hours after the hitmen were arrested from various locations in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, Sonam appeared in Ghazipur and surrendered at Nandganj police station. Her WhatsApp activity on Raj’s number ceased the same day. During interrogation, Sonam confessed to orchestrating Raja’s murder.
Brother disowns her, family distances itself
In a statement to the media, Sonam’s brother Govind said the family was unaware of any “Sanjay Verma” and has since cut all ties with her. “We are ashamed. We stand with Raja’s family and want justice for them,” he said.
A case of love, betrayal, and premeditated murder
What began as a search for a missing honeymoon couple turned into one of the country’s most disturbing betrayal cases. The use of aliases, the calculated planning, and the cold execution of a young man during what should have been the happiest phase of his life has shocked the nation.
