Pistol, ammunition recovered from Indore stream in Raghuvanshi murder case

Pistol, ammunition recovered from Indore stream in Raghuvanshi murder case

Shillong: A Meghalaya police team recovered a country-made pistol, two magazines, and two live .32 calibre rounds from a stream in Indore on Tuesday afternoon in connection with the murder of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi.

So far, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested eight people in connection with the murder.

This comes after two of the prime accused in the murder — his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi and her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha — confessed to their relationship and role in the crime.

“The recovery of the firearm and ammunition confirms our suspicion about the kind of planning that went into this murder. We are piecing together every bit of evidence as we build a watertight case,” East Khasi Hills superintendent of police Vivek Syiem said.

So far, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested eight people in connection with the murder. Sonam, Raj, and three others — Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Anand Kurmi — were arrested earlier and are likely to be produced before the court again on Thursday.

The three people arrested in connection with evidence tampering are flat owner Lokendra Singh Tomar, property dealer Silome James, and security guard Balla Ahirwar of the Heera Bagh Colony building in Indore, where Sonam had reportedly been hiding for 10 days after the murder. They are expected to be produced before the court of the Judicial Magistrate First Class tomorrow.

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The Tuesday afternoon recovery was based on leads provided by James. Additionally, ₹50,000 in cash was found hidden inside James’ Hyundai i10 car, which he had allegedly taken from the laptop bag belonging to Raj Kushwaha.

Syiem said that the laptop bag had earlier been burnt, while the laptop was reportedly thrown by the roadside and remains missing.

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All eight accused have been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including murder, destruction of evidence, criminal conspiracy, and unlawful possession of arms and ammunition.

A decomposed body of Raghuvanshi, 29, was recovered from a gorge a week after the couple went missing from a homestay in Meghalaya. He had married Sonam on May 11 in Indore, and the couple arrived in Sohra (Cherrapunji), Meghalaya, on May 22 for their honeymoon. The next day, May 23, Raja was allegedly lured to the Wei Sawdong viewpoint by Sonam and murdered by the three hired men with machetes. Sonam reportedly fled the scene, only to return after the attack had ended. Raja’s decomposed body was discovered in a gorge near the falls’ parking lot on June 2.