East Khasi Hills (Meghalaya) [India], June 18 : Meghalaya's Minister Alexander Laloo Hek on Wednesday said that the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case is the first instance of an organised, premeditated crime in the state.
Speaking to ANI about the high-profile murder of Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, the Minister, in charge of Department of Secretariat Administration, along with Departments of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Fisheries, Printing & Stationery, said, "This Raja Raghuvanshi case is a first organised, pre-planned crime that has taken place in Meghalaya."
Calling the incident the first "organised, pre-planned crime" in Meghalaya, Hek underlined the government's commitment to ensuring swift justice and making the state crime-free.
Hek, in an interview with ANI, said that the SIT meticulously reconstructed the crime scene, including revisiting the river site and involving the key accused, Sonam, to build a watertight case.
"The SIT went to the crime spot, the river to recreate the scene. They took Sonam also to the crime spot and tried to gather complete concrete evidence. They even went to the bottom of the river to collect concrete evidence," said Minister Hek.
The Meghalaya Minister also claimed that the family members of Sonam and Raja Raghuvashi tried to tarnish the image of the state in the beginning stages of the case.
The initial allegations made by the families of Sonam and victim Raja Raghuvanshi had blamed Meghalaya and its people.
"In the beginning, the family members of Sonam and Raja Raghuvanshi had blamed Meghalaya and its people. We considered filing a defamation case against them, but after they issued an apology, we decided not to pursue it further," said Hek.
On the chargesheet timeline, Hek stated, "If the investigation is complete, we will file the chargesheet within the stipulated time."
He praised Meghalaya Police for their continued efforts to dismantle the case and said, "The police is doing an excellent job, we have to appreciate their services. They are trying to extract a vital evidence and proof."
He reiterated the Meghalaya government's resolve to make the state crime-free through stronger laws and enforcement.
"Every state, including Meghalaya wants to be crime-free. For that, the legal framework has to be robust," Hek stated.
The Meghalaya Police's SIT on Tuesday reconstructed the crime scene as part of their investigations into the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi. The murder scene was recreated by the SIT team in Sohra in the presence of the accused, Sonam Raghuvanshi, and three others.
Superintendent of Police, East Khasi Hills, Vivek Syiem said that the reconstruction of the crime scene was very successful as the police then "got a very clear picture."
Detailing the reconstruction of the crime scene, SP Vivek Syiem said that one more machete used to murder Raja Raghuvanshi still needs to be recovered.
"The SIT visited several places to re-play how the accused did it. We started from the parking lot where they had kept their two-wheelers. We went to the viewpoint, and ascertained who was standing where just before the murder. There were three blows - first by Vishal, second by Anand and the last blow by Akash. We have ascertained that one more machete still needs to be recovered. The accused replayed how they threw the machete. SDRF are trying to recover the second weapon," he said.
Speaking to the media, SP Vivek Syiem also informed that Raja Raghuvashi's phone was damaged by Sonam Raghuvanshi and then by Vishal after the murder.
"We have ascertained what happened to Raja's mobile phone. It was damaged by Sonam and then by Vishal. This whole thing was played out, and also their exit from here," he said.
"We have ascertained that the victim was hit with the weapon. The first hit was by Vishal aka Vicky. When Raja was hit and blood came out, Sonam moved away from the spot. The three accused threw the body down," he added.
Later, speaking with ANI, Vivek Syiem, said, "She (Sonam) has already confessed to the crime. Today we recreated the crime scene, where she stood, what her role was, everything has come out today. The three people killed Raja, and Sonam was standing there. She destroyed the phone. It was all pre-planned. All three of them dumped his body."
The Meghalaya Police arrested five people in connection with the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi, a newlywed who had come to the state on his honeymoon. Those arrested include his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, and four others: Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, Raj Singh Kushwaha, and Anand.
Raja Raghuvanshi's body was found in a gorge near Sohra (Cherrapunji) on June 2. Sonam was later found near a roadside dhaba along the Varanasi-Ghazipur highway.
The couple, both residents of Indore in Madhya Pradesh, had gone missing during their honeymoon trip to Meghalaya.