Meghalaya murder: Indore tourist's wife surrenders in UP, another man held in Lalitpur

Lucknow: The Indore-based woman accused of hiring men to get her husband killed during their honeymoon in Meghalaya surrendered before Uttar Pradesh Police in Ghazipur while another man was arrested in connection to the alleged murder from Lalitpur district, a senior official said on Monday.

Meghalaya DGP I Nonrong, earlier in the day, said Raja Raghuvanshi, an Indore-based transport businessman, whose body was found a week back in Meghalaya, was allegedly killed by men hired by his wife, Sonam.

Apart from Sonam, three assailants were arrested -- Akash Rajput from Lalitpur and two others from Indore.

Raghuvanshi and his wife went missing while vacationing in the Sohra area in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district on May 23. His body was found in a gorge on June 2.

Ghazipur Superintendent of Police Iraz Raja said that Sonam (24) was recovered in the night at 'Kashi Dhaba' on the Varanasi-Ghazipur main road.

She was sent to Sadar Hospital for initial treatment and then kept at a one-stop centre.

A one-stop centre provides assistance to women in distress, both in private and public places.

The SP said further legal action will be taken by teams of Madhya Pradesh and Meghalaya police.

A dhaba employee told reporters that Sonam asked for a phone to call her parents in Indore after which MP Police were informed. Later, UP Police were contacted and Sonam was held.

In Lalitpur, one Akash Rajput was arrested by Meghalaya Police with the help of local police on Sunday night. He was apprehended from Chauki village in the Mahrauni police station area of Lalitpur, Superintendent of Police Md Mustaque said.

"Meghalaya Police is interrogating Rajput and we are extending help to them. Further legal action will be taken by the concerned state police," he said.

Earlier Meghalaya DGP I Nonrong said one person was picked up from UP in connection with Raghuvanshi's death and another two accused were apprehended from Indore by the SIT.

"The operation is still continuing in Madhya Pradesh to catch some more persons involved in the crime," she said.

After their marriage on May 11, the couple left for Meghalaya on May 20 for their honeymoon. They reached Mawlakhiat village in the northeastern state on May 22 on a rented scooter.

On May 24, their scooter was found abandoned at a cafe along the road from Shillong to Sohra, following which the search for them began. Raghuvanshi was found dead in a gorge near Weisawdong Falls on June 2. Sonam had been missing since then.

A Meghalaya Police special investigation team (SIT) headed by an SP and assisted by four DSPs was probing the matter.