Meghalaya Special Investigation Team (SIT) brings the accused in Raja Raghuvanshi murder case for the recreation of the crime at Wei Sawdong Falls, Cherrapunji, in East Khasi Hills on June 17, 2025.
| Photo Credit: ANI
The Meghalaya police on Tuesday (June 17, 2025), took four of the five accused of murdering Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi to recreate the crime scene near the Weisawdong Falls in the State’s Sohra area.
Sohra, a sub-divisional headquarters, is in the East Khasi Hills district. The place is about 50 km from Shillong, Meghalaya’s capital.
The four were Raja’s wife Sonam and the three alleged hired killers — Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput, and Anand Kurmi. The fifth accused, Raj Kushwaha, was not taken to the spot.
Vivek Syiem, the Superintendent of Police (SP) of East Khasi Hills, told journalists in Sohra that the reconstruction of the crime scene was done in five cases based on what the accused said during the interrogation.
“After they admitted to their involvement in the offence, we had to replay how they did it,” he said.
Mr. Syiem said the accused attempted to eliminate Raja at multiple places and eventually executed the plan at the viewpoint near the Weisawdong Falls upon finding the place empty.
“We had taken a Fire and Emergency Services personnel to replay Raja’s role. We ascertained their positions — who was standing where, and how the blows took place. There were three blows, first by Vishal alias Vicky, second by Anand, and the last by Akash,” he said.
Lethal blow
“Sonam gave the signal just before the parking lot that they should finish the job. She was there when it happened. Blood came out when Vishal hit Raja first. Sonam moved away from the spot when Raja was screaming after falling. Later, the body was thrown down by the three other accused,” Mr. Syiem said.
“The post-mortem report showed two cut marks on the victim’s head. The first hit was lethal, carried out by using both hands,” he said.
Raja’s decomposed body was found near the Weisawdong Falls on June 2, 10 days after he and Sonam went “missing”. Two machetes were subsequently recovered, one with the help of metal detectors.
“The white shirt that we recovered with the body was thrown by Akash. It was his shirt. He showed us from where he had thrown it,” Mr. Syiem said.
He said Raja did not know his three assailants, who befriended him in Sohra.
The SP explained how Sonam remained incommunicado after Raja’s murder. She destroyed one of the two phones she carried and handed the other to the co-accused.
“The whole thing, including their exit from Sohra, was played out today. We have a clear picture. We recorded the events through videography,” he said, adding that Sonam admitted to “this whole scheme of things” and insisted that they chose Sohra “by chance”.
Mr. Syiem said a team of the Meghalaya police would question Sonam’s family members in Indore. The team searched Sonam’s flat in Indore, which was found empty.
“What immediately comes to the fore is a love triangle, but we will explore if there was any other motive [behind the murder],” he said.
He further said Raj did not come to Meghalaya as he is an employee of the company of Sonam’s family, and his disappearance from Indore would have created suspicions.
“We will discuss with the SIT [Special Investigation Team] if we need them in our custody for some more days,” he said.
Meanwhile, two videos, one showing Raja and Sonam, and another showing the three hitmen, climbing the hill, have surfaced on social media. The SP said the person who filmed the videos would be summoned as the footage could be useful for the investigation.
‘All help for SIT’
In another development, Indore Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rajesh Dandotiya told The Hindu that the SIT members held a meeting with the senior officers of the Indore police and that a team of crime branch would help the Meghalaya police in probing local angles.
“The SIT arrived here on Tuesday and we are going to extend all possible assistance from our side,” he said, while refusing to share details of the investigation.
However, another senior crime branch officer said the SIT and local police team visited the apartment in city’s Lasuriya area where Sonam had stayed after returning to Indore but no “credible evidence was recovered” from there.
“The SIT is expected to stay here for a few days and probe aspects other than the love triangle. Tomorrow [Wednesday] onwards, they are likely to start questioning the family members of all five accused to gain more information on their respective backgrounds. The SIT members are also likely to meet Raja’s family,” the officer said, requesting anonymity.
Published – June 17, 2025 08:52 pm IST
