Shillong (Meghalaya) [India], June 9 : Three assailants from Madhya Pradesh have been caught, and a woman has surrendered in connection with the killing of Raja Raghuvanshi, a tourist who went missing with his wife in Meghalaya last month.
This announcement was made by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma. He further said that the police's operation is still underway to catch one more assailant.
In a social media post on X, Chief Minister Sangma wrote, "Within 7 days, a breakthrough has been achieved by the #meghalayapolice in the Raja murder case ... 3 assailants who are from Madhya Pradesh have been arrested, a female has also surrendered and operation still on to catch 1 more assailant .. "
https://x.com/SangmaConrad/status/1931888894716567734
Meghalaya DGP told ANI that 3 men were arrested, while the woman who had surrendered was identified as Sonam, the wife of late Raja Raghuvanshi.
Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur police are yet to issue a formal statement, but sources say that the woman (Sonam) was found in a dishevelled state. The woman is being kept in the Sakhi One Stop Centre, a shelter for women who are victims of violence, in the city, and the MP Police have been informed. Further details are awaited.
In the wake of the incident, the couple's family had demanded a CBI probe.
On Sunday, Meghalaya Minister Alexander Laloo Hek emphasised the state's commitment to justice in the case of the Indore couple, Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife, Sonam.
On Friday, the family of Raja Raghuvanshi, a newlywed from Madhya Pradesh's Indore whose body was found in a gorge near Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting a CBI inquiry into the matter.
Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife, Sonam, went missing during their honeymoon in the northeastern state. The couple was last seen on May 23.
Later, on June 2, Raja's body was found in a gorge at Sohrarim near Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, while Sonam is still missing, and the search operation to trace her continues.
Speaking to ANI, Sonam Raghuvanshi's mother, Sangeeta Raghuvanshi, said, "... We want the CBI inquiry to begin as soon as possible so that my daughter can come home as soon as possible... We want our daughter to be found as soon as possible."
Meanwhile, Raja Raghuvanshi's brother, Vipul Raghuvanshi, said, "We have written a letter to the Prime Minister requesting a CBI inquiry and submitted it at the commissioner's office. We want the PM and the Chief Minister to extend support to us, and the CBI investigation should be conducted into the matter. It could bring justice to Raja and make finding Sonam easier. The way the Meghalaya police are working on this case, they won't bring justice to Raja."