Meghalaya murder: One of the accused took people to man's funeral in Indore

Indore: One of the persons arrested for alleged involvement in the murder of Indore-based Raja Raghuvanshi in Meghalaya had taken people to the latter's funeral here, an eyewitness said on Monday.

The murder took a sensational turn when Raghuvanshi's wife Sonam was held by Meghalaya police along with her three alleged aides Akash Rajput (19), Vishal Singh Chauhan (22), and Raj Singh Kushwaha (21).

"When Raja's body arrived here, Sonam's family, whose home is in Govind Nagar Kharcha area, had arranged four -five vehicles for people to attend the funeral. Kushwaha was driving the four-wheeler in which I went, though we did not talk. Only after seeing his photograph in the media post his arrest, I recollected this episode," said Lakshman Singh Rathore.

Raja Raghuvanshi, was found dead in a gorge near Weisawdong Falls in East Khasi Hills district on June 2, ten days after the couple went missing. Raja and Sonam, who got married on May 11 in Indore, went to Meghalaya on their honeymoon.

The husband and wife disappeared on May 23, hours after they checked out of a homestay at Nongriat village, 20 km from where his body was found.

"The first person arrested was Rajput from Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh. The second was Chauhan from Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The third was Kushwaha, also from Indore," East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem said at a press conference in Shillong on Monday.

The three were allegedly hired by Sonam, who surrendered before the Nandganj Police Station in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, police there said.

Meanwhile, Sonam's father Devi Singh Raghuvanshi claimed Kushwaha's name was being wrongly linked to his daughter and threatened to send a legal notice to Meghalaya police.

Eyewitnesses said from Monday night police personnel have been deployed outside Sonam's maternal home and the door of her house has been locked from inside.

Outside Raja Raghuvanshi's house in Sahakar Nagar, Indore, locals burnt Sonam's photo and expressed anger over the murder. A huge poster with his photograph, as well as images from the wedding, had been put up that sought a CBI inquiry.