Raja Raghuvanshi murder: Raj Kushwaha's mother claims he is innocent

Indore: Chunni Devi, the mother of Raj Kushwaha, one of the five accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, said on Thursday that her son had no enmity with the victim and had nothing to do with the crime.

Five people, including Rahuvanshi's wife Sonam (25) and her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha (20) have been arrested for allegedly conspiring to kill the 29-year-old transport businessman when he and Sonam were in Meghalaya for their honeymoon.

Sonam is accused of conspiring with Kushwaha to get her husband killed through three hired killers, to remove him from their way. All five accused are in the custody of Meghalaya police.

"Why would my son become the mastermind of this murder? Sonam got married. She went to her in-laws' house. Raja Raghuvanshi was not my son's enemy. What would my son have gained from his death?" Kushwaha's mother told PTI in Indore.

"Sonam is much older than Raj. She was married into a big family. My son was a servant. He used to work in Sonam's family's establishment," Chunni Devi added.

She also denied that her son had an affair with Sonam. "Sonam treated my son like her brother. He used to call her 'didi' (elder sister)," the woman said.

Her son could not have conspired to kill Raghuvanshi, and the Meghalaya police should investigate the matter thoroughly to uncover the truth, she said.

Kushwaha's younger sister Suhani also claimed her brother was not the mastermind of the murder.

"My brother must be telling the truth to the Meghalaya police because he is worried about our family. I think Sonam didi is lying during interrogation to save herself," Suhani said.

Sonam's family is in the business of Sunmica sheets.

According to police, though Kushwaha is a Class 12 fail, he worked as an accountant in the firm for the last three years. He became close to Sonam during this period, it is alleged.

Raja Raghuvanshi and Sonam went missing on May 23 in Meghalaya during their honeymoon. Raghuvanshi's body was found on June 2 in a deep gorge in Sohra area (also known as Cherrapunji) with head injuries.

Sonam surrendered before police in Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh on June 8, while four accused including Kushwaha were arrested from different areas of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.