Albert Pde, a guide who was turned down by the Indore couple, helped police to crack the Raja Raghuvandshi murder case. Albert is a local guide in Meghalaya’s Nongriat village and had asked the honeymoon couple, Raja and Sonam Raghuvanshi, if he could give them a tour of the tourist spot on May 22. The couple denied taking his services and chose another guide. The next day, Albert Pde saw them again. He saw that the couple was accompanied by three unknown men. All of them were climbing the 3,000 steps back to Mawlakhiat. In his testimony, Albert said, “I saw the couple with three men on the way up. The men were walking ahead, and the woman was behind them.” He also told police that they were speaking in Hindi. His statement helped police in the investigation and track the suspects. Investigation revealed that Sonam Raghuvanshi allegedly hired the men to murder her husband during their honeymoon. The police arrested Sonam and two others; one is still absconding.
Love Affair of Sonam Raghuvanshi:Police claim that the victim's wife hired contract killers to kill her husband because of an affair she had with Raj Kushwaha. He was also taken into custody. Raj Kushwaha worked with Sonam, and they frequently spoke on calls, according to Raja Raghuvanshi's brother.
Also Read: Meghalaya Honeymoon Murder Case: Sonam Hired Men to Murder Husband Raja Raghuvanshi, Says Police
Timeline of the spine-chilling murder:
- May 11 - Raja and Sonam Got Married In Indore.
- May 20 - The Indore couple left for their honeymoon in Meghalaya and flew to Shillong.
- May 21 - They arrived and checked into the Balaji Guest House in Shillong.
- May 22 - After renting a scooter, both of them went to Sohra and then to the village of Mawlakhiat. With the assistance of a local guide, they hiked to Shipara Homestay in Nongriat. That day, Albert Pde came up to them, but they turned him down.
- May 23 - After leaving the homestay, the couple set out on their return walk without a guide. Albert spotted them again at around ten in the morning, this time accompanied by three men who spoke Hindi. This was Raja's last known sighting. After this, the news of the couple missing breaks out.
- May 24 - An abandoned scooter was found in the village, and the village head reported the scooter to the police. After probing, police found out that it was rented by the couple.
- May 25 - Police intensified the search operation.
- June 2 - Police, with the help of drones, located the decomposed body of Raja Raghuvanshi in a gorge near Wei Sawdong Falls. A blood-stained raincoat, a mobile, and a machete were found nearby.
- June 3 to 7 - Police took statements from people, including Albert Pde's. Rebuilding the timeline was further aided by CCTV footage that showed the couple arriving at a homestay on May 22. Around ten in the morning on May 23, Albert reported seeing the couple and three men as they ascended the steep stairs from Nongriat to Mawlakhiat. Because he had contacted them the day before and offered to lead them to the living root bridge in Nongriat, he recognised them. They had, however, turned down his offer and selected another guide. The three males who were with the couple, he claimed, were speaking Hindi, indicating that they were not locals.
- June 9 - Sonam turned herself in in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, according to Meghalaya DGP I Nongrang. The murder was allegedly committed by three males, and two of them have been arrested along with Sonam.