HONEYMOON TO REDMOON- MEGHALAYA MURDER
Raja Raghuvanshi and Sonam Raghuvanshi were married on May 11 and left for their honeymoon in Meghalaya on May 20. The couple went missing from the Sohra area in East Khasi Hills district on May 23. Nearly ten days later, Raja’s body was recovered from a deep gorge on June 2.
Raj Kushwaha, the 21-year-old accused of conspiring with Sonam Raghuvanshi to murder her husband Raja Raghuvanshi in Meghalaya, allegedly began planning the killing just days after the couple’s wedding. Sonam surrendered in Uttar Pradesh, and Raj was arrested in Indore.
During Sonam and Raja’s honeymoon in Meghalaya, Sonam allegedly shared the location with the assailants tasked with killing Raja. Raj stayed behind in Indore and was even seen at Sonam’s family home during the time authorities in Maghalaya were searching for the couple. During the last rites of Raja’s body, Raj was allegedly seen with Sonam’s father Devi Singh.
Raj and Sonam were allegedly in touch constantly in the days before the murder, and that raised suspicion. The accused allegedly planned to kill Raja in an isolated place and leave his body there.
Raj and Sonam met around two years ago and got close to each other and Raj used to live near Sonam’s family but moved to the Nanbagh locality recently, where the other three accused- Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput, and Anand Kurmi, those suspected of actually carrying out the murder, lived. The three travelled to Guwahati by train and went to Meghalaya from there. Sonam was seen walking behind Raja during the honeymoon and the three assailants were found near the site of the murder. A dao was the murder weapon, which is not native to the locality.
Murder Trends in India
In 2022, India recorded 29,193 homicides. Among these, love affairs ranked as the third most common motive—surpassed only by personal disputes and enmity.
Specifically, NCRB data reveal that 3,031 murders were linked to romantic relationships that year, accounting for about 10–11% of total homicides.
In India, each year, roughly 275 husbands are murdered by wives, and 225 wives by husbands—highlighting that fatal relationship violence can affect any gender .
Though India-specific age-group stats are scarce, international data show that individuals aged 18–24 make up about 21% of violent crime arrests, with the murder arrest rate twice as high as 15–17-year-olds. Given Raj Kushwaha is 21, he falls within this high-risk cohort known for impulsivity and relationship-driven violence.
Tags: Indian murder, Meghalaya case, honeymoon murder, Madhya Pradesh
