Shillong, Jun 19: In a chilling twist to the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi during his honeymoon in Meghalaya, police investigations have revealed that his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused, was in regular contact with her lover Raj Kushwaha -- whom she had saved in her phone as "Sanjay Verma" -- both before and after her marriage.

According to Meghalaya Police, Sonam made and received over 239 calls from the number in just 39 days.

The police confirmed that the so-called Sanjay Verma is, in fact, Raj Kushwaha, who worked as an accountant in the furniture sheet unit owned by Sonam's family in Indore.

He is now identified as the co-conspirator and the mastermind behind the murder plan.

Police suspect that Sonam deliberately saved Raj's number under a different name to avoid arousing suspicion. His mobile phone has remained switched off since the case unravelled.

Sonam's brother, Govind, reacting to the revelations, stated, "I don't know anything about Sanjay Verma. I just got to know that Sanjay's name is also coming up."

He further emphasised that the family has cut all ties with Sonam and stands with the victim's family in their fight for justice.

The murder has sent shockwaves across the country. What initially appeared to be a case of a missing couple took a dark turn when the body of Raja Raghuvanshi was discovered in the forested terrain of Meghalaya, not far from Nongriat village, where the couple was last seen.

The two had checked out from a homestay on May 23, just 12 days after their wedding in Indore, only for Raja's body to be recovered on June 2.

According to police, Sonam had a long-standing relationship with Raj even before her marriage. Despite the ongoing affair, she went ahead with the wedding and planned a honeymoon trip to the northeast.

But the trip was part of a sinister plot to eliminate Raja. Police investigations have revealed that Sonam hired three contract killers -- Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Anand Kurmi -- to carry out the murder.

Her cousin, Jitendra Raghuvanshi, is said to have facilitated the first payment instalment to the hitmen.

After days of being untraceable, Sonam surfaced on June 8 in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur district and surrendered at the Nandganj police station.

Her surrender came hours after the three hitmen were nabbed from different locations in Uttar Pradesh, Indore, and Sagar. Raj Kushwaha was arrested shortly after.

On June 11, during police interrogation, Sonam reportedly confessed to orchestrating the murder of her husband.

The murder, laced with deception and betrayal, has gripped national attention, particularly due to the elaborate planning and the disturbing involvement of multiple individuals close to the accused.

Govind, her brother, reiterated the family's resolve to stand by Raja's family.

"We have no relation with Sonam anymore. What she has done is beyond forgiveness. Our full support is with Raja's family, and we will help them in their legal battle for justice," he had said.

(IANS)

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