The father of Sonam Raghuvanshi, the Indore woman accused of plotting her husband’s murder during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, has rejected the contract killing charges against his daughter, claiming that the Meghalaya Police was fabricating the case and demanding a CBI inquiry into the incident.
Speaking to reporters hours after Sonam's arrest, Devi Singh said, "My daughter is innocent. I trust her completely. She cannot do this. They got married with the consent of both families. The Meghalaya government has been lying from the beginning".
Singh further claimed that Sonam had reached a roadside eatery (dhaba) in Uttar Pradesh's Gazipur, on her own on Sunday night and called her brother, after which police arrived and took her away. "She was not arrested in Meghalaya. She came to Ghazipur by herself. I haven't been able to speak to her yet. Why would my daughter kill her husband? The Meghalaya Police is making up stories," he said.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the ongoing investigation, Singh said the family was planning to approach Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to seek a CBI probe. "Once a CBI inquiry begins, all the officers from that Meghalaya police station will land in jail", he claimed.
Sonam's mother, Sangeeta, also rejected police claims and demanded a probe into the matter. "These are all false allegations (against my daughter). Investigation should be done," she said.
Sonam Raghuvanshi, 24, was detained after she surrendered in Ghazipur earlier today, nearly 10 days after the body of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, was recovered from a deep gorge in Sohra (Cherrapunjee) in Meghalaya. The couple had travelled to the state last month for their honeymoon but went missing on May 23.
"Sonam Raghuvanshi has voluntarily surrendered at the Nandganj Police Station in Ghazipur district, Uttar Pradesh, and is currently in the safe custody of the Uttar Pradesh Police. Necessary legal protocols are being followed for her transit," Meghalaya Police said in an official statement.
According to police sources, Sonam had been in a relationship with another man, Raj Kushwaha, and allegedly conspired with him to kill her husband. Officials alleged that she hired contract killers from Madhya Pradesh to execute the plan in the guise of a vacation.
The case took a turn when a tourist guide reported that the couple was last seen with three unknown men. On June 2, Raja’s decomposed body was found in a gorge. Their rented scooter was later discovered abandoned in Sohrarim, with the keys still in place.
Meghalaya DGP Idashisha Nongrang claimed that Sonam Raghuvanshi was actively involved in plotting her husband's killing. According to Nongrang, Sonam hired contract killers to carry out the crime.
So far, three suspected hired attackers from Madhya Pradesh have been arrested. A fourth suspect is still on the run.
