Meghalaya murder: Raj Kushwaha cried after attending Raja Raghuvanshi's funeral

Indore: The mother of Raj Kushwaha, arrested for allegedly plotting the murder of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi with the latter's wife Sonam during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, on Tuesday claimed her son was innocent and framed in the case.

Speaking to the media, Chunni Devi claimed her son cried inconsolably when he returned home after attending Raja's funeral.

Sonam Raghuvanshi allegedly orchestrated the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in the scenic town of Sohra in Meghalaya, according to the police.

Meghalaya Police had said that Raja was killed by men allegedly hired by Sonam, who went 'missing' and surfaced in UP's Ghazipur where she surrendered at the Nandganj police station after the arrest of three assailants -- Akash Rajput (19), Vishal Singh Chauhan (22), and Raj Singh Kushwaha (21) -- in overnight raids, police said.

According to Indore Police, Kushwaha, a class 12 pass-out, worked as an accountant at the furniture sheet unit owned by the family of Sonam, a resident of Govind Nagar Kharcha area in Indore. She looks after the family business.

Originally from Uttar Pradesh, the Kushwahas have been living in a small rented house in Indore with Raj, his mother, and three sisters.

"My son is innocent. He has been framed. How can a 20-year-old boy commit such a big crime? He is the only breadwinner after my husband passed away," Chunni Devi told PTI while crying.

She claimed her son was distressed following the death of Raja Raghuvanshi and attended his funeral procession.

"He was crying inconsolably when he returned home. I tried to calm him down, saying everything will be fine and there is no use crying," Chunni Devi claimed, adding that her son had been working at the business establishment owned by Sonam's family for the last two years.

Kushwaha's younger sister Suhani also termed the allegations against her elder brother as false. She rejected reports that Sonam and her brother were in a romantic relationship.

"My brother and Sonam only shared the employee-employer relationship. He addresses Sonam as 'didi', while she calls him 'bhaiya'," Suhani added.

According to police, Raj Kushwaha, accused of hiring hitmen to murder Raja, didn't travel to Meghalaya and stayed back in Indore to avoid suspicion.

A viral video showed Raj Kushwaha comforting Sonam's father, Devi Singh Raghuvanshi, who reached the house of Raja Raghuvanshi before the funeral.

Devi Singh had said his daughter was innocent and demanded a CBI inquiry into the murder of his son-in-law.

Kushwaha and three other accused- Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi - are currently in the transit custody of Meghalaya Police.

Prima facie, there is no previous criminal record against all the four accused, aged 20 to 25 years, in local police stations, an official said, adding that they are well acquainted with each other.

After their wedding on May 11 in Indore, Raja and Sonam travelled to the northeastern state for honeymoon. They disappeared on May 23, hours after checking out of a homestay at Nongriat village, 20 km from where Raja's body was found on June 2.

Raja's relatives identified the body through a distinctive tattoo on his right hand. A woman's white shirt, a strip of medicine, a part of the LCD screen of a mobile phone, and a smartwatch were also seized at the spot, police had said.

Police also recovered a bloodstained machete (dao), which they believe was used in Raja’s murder.

A raincoat also believed to belong to the couple, was recovered from Mawkma village, a few kilometres away from the gorge where Raja's body was found.

Raja's autopsy report revealed that he was hit twice on the head with a sharp object.

Uttar Pradesh ADG (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash had said Sonam was found at Kashi Dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur main road.

Officials said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Meghalaya Police is investigating the murder conspiracy.

While Meghalaya Police maintain that Sonam plotted the murder, her father, Devi Singh Raghuvanshi, had insisted she was abducted and falsely implicated.

"My daughter is 100 per cent innocent. The Meghalaya Police is misleading the media and not conducting a proper investigation into the matter. The family has demanded a CBI probe, with Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav also writing to Union Home Minister Amit Shah requesting a central investigation," he said.

He had claimed that Kushwaha was being wrongly linked with Sonam. "Meghalaya Police are making false allegations against my daughter to save their skin. I will send a legal notice to Meghalaya Police".