Meghalaya Honeymoon Murder: Homestay Owner Recounts Couple’s Strange Behavior

The tragic murder of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi during his honeymoon in Meghalaya continues to unravel with unsettling details provided by the owner of the Nongriat village homestay where the couple stayed. Raja and his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, who is now the primary suspect in his killing, exhibited peculiar behavior before vanishing for several hours on May 23, the day Raja was allegedly murdered, according to homestay owner Constantine.

The couple, who married on May 11 in Indore, arrived in Meghalaya via Guwahati on May 20 for their honeymoon. On May 22, they checked into Constantine’s homestay in Nongriat, one of five available rooms, after failing to secure a booking at a homestay in Sohra, East Khasi Hills district. Villagers noted that the couple trekked from Mawlakhiat to Nongriat with a guide’s assistance due to the lack of prior reservations.

Constantine recalled that Raja and Sonam paid ₹1,380 for their stay, which included ₹1,000 for the room, ₹300 for dinner, and ₹80 for coffee. Despite Sonam’s claim to her mother-in-law that she was fasting, Constantine told that the couple enjoyed a “very good dinner” on May 22. The next morning, May 23, the couple left the homestay early, presumably to visit the local root bridge, a popular tourist attraction, but their whereabouts for several hours remain unclear. They returned late that evening before checking out.

Raja’s body was discovered on June 2 in a gorge near Wei Sawdong Falls, close to Sohra. Sonam, who surrendered to police in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur on June 9, is accused of orchestrating her husband’s murder alongside her alleged lover, Raj Kushwaha, and three others. The Meghalaya Police, in collaboration with authorities in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, have arrested five suspects in the case. A Shillong court has remanded Sonam and the other accused to eight days of police custody as investigations continue.