Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], June 19 : Vipin Raghuvanshi, brother of the deceased Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, has claimed that the prime accused, Sonam Raghuvanshi, and other suspects in the murder case have not yet confessed to their crimes and are attempting to mislead the police.
Vipin also demanded an additional eight days of police remand for Sonam and the other accused to facilitate further investigation and interrogation.
"Sonam hasn't confessed her crime yet. She and the other accused are trying to mislead the police. We demand that their remand be extended by eight more days. Through further investigation and interrogation, the truth will come out," Vipin said.
He also revealed that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Meghalaya Police, probing the high-profile murder case, visited their residence in Indore on Wednesday to question the family about Sonam.
"The SIT team came yesterday and asked some questions about Sonam. Initially, we didn't doubt her because her parents told us she was speaking to clients of the company," he added.
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. Sonam damaged it, and then Vishal damaged it. 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, and everything that came 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.