Sonam left behind 'mangalsutra' in homestay: DGP reveals how investigators cracked honeymoon murder

Shillong: Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife Sonam had left their suitcase at a homestay in Sohra before going missing, and the 'mangalsutra' and a ring found in it helped investigators crack the honeymoon murder case, Meghalaya's Director General of Police (DGP) I Nongrang said on Wednesday.

Sonam (25) and Raja (29) got married in Indore on May 11 and reached Meghalaya via Guwahati in Assam on May 20 for their honeymoon. Both of them went missing on May 23 in Sohra in East Khasi Hills district, hours after checking out of a homestay at Nongriat village.

Raja's body was found in a gorge near Weisawdong Falls on June 2. A search continued for Sonam, who emerged in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, around 1,200 km away, in the early hours of June 9 and surrendered as police arrested his boyfriend Raj Kushwaha and the three contract killers hired by them to murder Raja.

"We recovered Sonam's 'mangalsutra' and a ring from the suitcase the couple abandoned at a homestay in Sohra. A married woman leaving behind the ornaments gave us a clue to pursue her as a suspect in the case," DGP Nongrang told PTI.

'Mangalsutra' is a sacred necklace worn by married Hindu women, signifying their bond with their husband.

The couple walked into the homestay in Sohra on May 22 without any prior booking, another police officer, who is part of the investigation, told PTI.

They did not get a room there, and thus they decided to keep their suitcase at the homestay as it would be troublesome to trek over 3,000 steps with it to the Nongriat village to see the double-decker root bridge, he said.

While their suitcase remained at the Sohra homestay, they spent the night at a homestay in Nongriat before checking out early on May 23. They trekked back to Sohra, took their scooter from the parking and went to Weisawdong Falls, where Raja was allegedly killed by the three contract killers in front of his wife, he added.

PTI had on Saturday reported that a tour guide had seen the couple with three Hindi-speaking men while they were climbing back to Sohra from Nongriat.

"The accused persons have admitted to the crime, and with all the evidence, there is no room to deny," the police officer said.

A court in Shillong has sent Sonam, her boyfriend Raj and the three hitmen to eight-day police custody.