Indore, 20 June

The elder brother of Raja Raghuvanshi, who was murdered in Meghalaya during his honeymoon trip, has alleged that the victim’s wife Sonam Raghuvanshi is misleading the police, demanding that she be subjected to detailed questioning.

He said on Thursday that Sonam and four other accused in the case must be brought to Indore for a thorough investigation to uncover the “complete truth” behind the murder, which sent shockwaves across the country.

The remarks came on a day a Shillong court extended the police custody of Sonam and her alleged paramour Raj Kushwaha by two days.

“Sonam misled the investigators during her eight-day police custody and withheld key details about the murder. She must be remanded in police custody for a longer period for proper interrogation,” Raja’s brother Sachin Raghuvanshi told PTI in Indore.

He reiterated the demand for a narcoanalysis test of Sonam’s entire family, alleging that her relatives and friends might also have played a role in the conspiracy to murder his brother.

“It is not easy to plan such a massive conspiracy. The motive behind my brother’s murder must be clearly established. For that, Sonam and the other accused should be brought to Indore for detailed questioning,” he added.

Raja’s mother Uma Raghuvanshi broke down while remembering her late son and kept asking: “Why did Sonam get my son killed?”

“She, her friends, and all those close to her must be interrogated in detail. What was my son’s fault, and why did she get him killed? I won't find peace until I hear the answer to this directly from Sonam’s mouth," she said.

Sonam, her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha, and three of Kushwaha’s friends – Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput, and Anand Kurmi – have been arrested in connection with Raja Raghuvanshi’s planned murder on 23 May in Meghalaya.

While a Shillong court extended Sonam and Kushwaha’s police custody by two days, Chauhan, Rajput and Kurmi were sent to 14-day judicial custody on Thursday.

Indore resident Raja had gone missing on 23 May during his honeymoon in Meghalaya. His mutilated body was recovered on 2 June from a deep gorge near a waterfall in the Sohra area of East Khasi Hills district, also known as Cherrapunji.

Sonam surrendered on 8 June before police in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur district, while Kushwaha and the other three accused were arrested from different locations in MP and UP.

Raja hailed from a family engaged in the transport business. He had married Sonam on 11 May in Indore, and the couple left for their honeymoon in Meghalaya on 20 May.

A special investigation team of the Meghalaya Police is probing the case.