As the investigation into the high-profile murder of transport businessman Raja Raghuvanshi deepens, two more individuals have been arrested for aiding the prime accused, his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi. The fresh arrests of a property dealer and a security guard shed light on how key evidence—including jewellery, a firearm, and electronics—was hidden and possibly destroyed in a rented flat in Indore following the crime. The Meghalaya Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) continues to unravel chilling details of premeditation and cover-up that followed Raja’s brutal murder during a honeymoon trip to Meghalaya.
Evidence Hidden in Indore Flat, Items Burned
The arrested property dealer, Silome James, was picked up by the SIT from a toll gate in Madhya Pradesh while attempting to flee to Bhopal. He had rented out a flat at Heera Bagh Colony in Indore to co-accused Vishal Chauhan, who was allegedly part of the murder conspiracy. Sources say Sonam stayed in that very flat after returning from Meghalaya and stashed a jewellery box and other incriminating items there. The box is suspected to have contained valuables linked to the case.
Investigators believe that the box was later burned by James at a different location. The SIT visited the burn site but found no signs of Raja’s jewellery, the alleged weapon, or the missing laptop. A forensic team collected residual evidence from the spot for further analysis. These developments have intensified scrutiny into the broader network that allegedly helped Sonam in the aftermath of her husband’s murder.
Security Guard Also Nabbed, Timeline of Events Emerges
The second arrest was that of a security guard named Balla Ahirwar, who was picked up from his village in Ashok Nagar. He had been posted at the same Indore property and is believed to have knowledge about Sonam’s stay and the concealment of items. Both men were produced before an Indore court, which granted seven-day transit custody to Meghalaya Police.
The flat was formally rented out by James to Vishal Chauhan on May 30 for Rs 17,000 per month. Though the flat was found empty during police raids, sources confirmed that Sonam lived there briefly after her return from Meghalaya, before surrendering in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur on June 8.
The timeline reveals that Sonam and Raja were married in Indore on May 11 and left for their honeymoon to Meghalaya on May 20. They were reported missing by May 23. Raja’s mutilated body was discovered in a deep gorge near Weisawdong Falls on June 2. He was killed using machetes near a remote parking area in Sohra. Police allege Sonam conspired with her lover Raj Kushwaha and three of his friends to carry out the murder.
Sonam, Raj Kushwaha, and three accomplices—Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput, and Anand Kurmi—have already been arrested and are currently in judicial custody in Meghalaya. The arrest of James and Ahirwar brings the total number of accused to seven, with investigators still tracking missing items and attempting to reconstruct the chain of events that led to the brutal killing of Raja Raghuvanshi.
