Guwahati: Meghalaya Police have revealed that Sonam Raghuvanshi maintained extensive contact with a man she saved in her phone as “Sanjay Verma,” later identified as her lover, Raj Kushwaha, both before and after marrying Raja Raghuvanshi, whom she murdered in Meghalaya last month.
Investigators accessed call records showing that between March 1 and April 8, Sonam and Raj exchanged 234 phone calls, each lasting between 30 to 60 minutes.
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Police believe Sonam deliberately listed Raj’s number under a false name to avoid suspicion.
Authorities arrested all five accused on June 8, the same day Raj’s mobile number last showed activity on WhatsApp. That evening, Sonam surrendered at a police station in Nandganj, Uttar Pradesh.
On Wednesday, Sonam’s brother Govind claimed he had never heard of “Sanjay Verma.” He told reporters, “I have no idea who Sanjay is. I learned about his name today, just like everyone else.”
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The murder case took a chilling turn when police discovered that Sonam had hired three contract killers, Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Anand Kurmi, to eliminate her husband. Police later arrested Raj, who allegedly helped plan the murder.
The case first emerged as a missing persons investigation after Sonam and Raja vanished during their honeymoon in Meghalaya.
The couple, both from Indore, married on May 11 and traveled to the northeast shortly after. They were last seen checking out of a homestay in Nongriat village on May 23.
Ten days later, on June 2, authorities recovered Raja’s body about 20 kilometers away.
Sonam reappeared on June 8 in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, and surrendered soon after. Police said she confessed to the murder on June 11.
Investigators also confirmed that her cousin, Jitendra Raghuvanshi, paid the first installment to the hired killers.
The shocking betrayal stunned the nation. Despite knowing about Sonam’s ongoing relationship with Raj, an accountant at her family’s furniture sheet business, the couple had gone ahead with the wedding. Sonam had also been involved in managing the family enterprise.
Sonam reportedly went into hiding after the murder and secretly stayed at a rented accommodation, which she had legally leased under her name.
Her brother Govind announced that the family had severed all ties with her. He expressed his support for Raja’s family and vowed to stand by them in their fight for justice.