Raja Raghuvanshi murder: Sonam, accused of killing her husband during honeymoon in Meghalaya gets bail | Video

A court in Meghalaya on Tuesday granted bail to Indore resident Sonam Raghuvanshi, who is accused of plotting the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, during their honeymoon in the northeastern state last year.

Her husband had gone missing on May 23 while the couple was on their honeymoon, and his mutilated body was later discovered on June 2 near a waterfall in the Sohra area of East Khasi Hills district. Sonam, along with many others comprising her alleged boyfriend, was held in connection with the case.

"The accused has been granted bail by the court. However, necessary legal procedures are being followed and the police will continue to pursue the matter as per law," PTI quoted SP Vivek Syiem as saying.

The two accused, Balbir Ahirbar and Lokendra Singh Tomar, had been taken into custody on suspicion of destroying evidence linked to the case and are currently out on bail, East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem had said. He added that while the arrests were made based on suspicion, the detailed probe did not substantiate the allegations against them.

"The final report found that they had no role whatsoever, which led to their dismissal in the case, and hence their names were not included in the chargesheet," Syiem informed PTI.

He said the police have submitted a second chargesheet in the case, in which only one of the three people earlier arrested for allegedly tampering with evidence has been included.

The following morning, on May 23, they checked out of the homestay and started their journey back toward Mawlakhiat. After leaving Nongriat, no one reported seeing the couple in person, and all contact with them was lost later that day.

Raja Raghuvanshi, a resident of Madhya Pradesh, was allegedly killed in May last year in a remote area near Wei Sawdong Falls in Meghalaya’s Sohra region of East Khasi Hills district.

His decomposed body was later found in a deep gorge on June 2 following an extensive search operation. Police had said that Raja and his wife Sonam, who were newly married at the time, had travelled to Meghalaya for what was described as a honeymoon-cum-holiday trip.

Investigators accused Sonam of planning and carrying out the murder before fleeing the state. According to PTI citing police sources, the crime was believed to be linked to a love triangle as well as financial disputes. The accused were also alleged to have tried to destroy evidence and dispose of the body in an attempt to cover up the crime.