Raja Raghuvanshi’s family demands death penalty for main accused

The family members of murdered Indore-based transport businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, have reiterated their demand for death penalty for the main accused, late Raja’s wife Sonam and four other accused.

Raja’s family members said on Saturday that all they want is capital punishment for those who murdered Raja.

Advertisement

The family’s response came a day after the Meghalaya Police filed its 790-page chargesheet at a court in Shillong, against Sonam, her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha, and his three friends, Vishal Singh Chauhan, Akash Singh Rajput and Anand Kurmi. All five accused are currently lodged in a jail at Shillong.

“My family’s only demand continues to be for death penalty to Sonam, Raj, and all other accused who murdered my brother,” reiterated Vipin Raghuvanshi, late Raja’s brother.

He said the family trusts that the Shillong police have made a very strong case against the accused.

Raja Raghuvanshi (29), a transport businessman of Indore, got married to Sonam Raghuvanshi (25), also of Indore, on 11 May. They reached Shillong in Meghalaya on 20 May, for their honeymoon.

However, both went missing there on 23 May. Raja’s body was found in a deep gorge near a waterfall in the Sohra (Cherrapunji) area on 2 June.

The Meghalaya police registered a case of murder and launched investigations.

Meanwhile, Sonam remained missing for the next seven days, despite extensive search operations.

In the wee hours of 9 June, Sonam was located at a dhaba at Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh. She was initially detained and subsequently arrested, on suspicion of being the main mastermind behind her husband’s murder.

Following that, four more accused were arrested, including three suspected hired killers from Indore and Bina in Madhya Pradesh, and another suspect from Uttar Pradesh.

The Meghalaya police took all the four men, Raj Kushwaha, Vishal Chauhan, Anand Kurmi, and Akash Rajput, on transit remand from a Court at Indore to Shillong on 10 June.