In one of the many revelations and twists in the Meghalaya honeymoon murder, Raja Raghuvanshi’s family has claimed that Sonam married him to remove the “mangal dosh” in her horoscope, and later murdered him so that she could marry her lover Raj Kushwaha.
These claims were made by Raja Raghuvanshi’s elder brother Sachin on Wednesday, as details of the meticulously planned murder during the couple’s honeymoon in Meghalaya continued to unfold. The case initially began as that of a “missing couple”, after Raja and Sonam could not be traced in the northeastern state, but took a tragic turn and revealed a shocking betrayal.
According to Sachin Raghuvanshi, Sonam was a “manglik” and her family wanted her to marry Raja, who also had the ‘mangal dosh” in his horoscope. They approached Raja’s family with a proposal despite knowing that Sonam was in love with Raj and wanted to marry him, he alleged.
Some sections believe that a person born under the influence of the planet Mars (mangal) has “mangal dosh” (affliction) and that marriage between a manglik and “non-manglik” is inauspicious.
“Sonam’s family was also not ready to let her marry Raj, who was an employee in their family business,” Sachin said.
The victim’s brother alleged Sonam decided to kill Raja after their wedding to remove her “mangal dosh”, and that her mother was also aware of her intention. “Sonam’s mother should also be questioned,” Sachin said, adding that Raja’s murder was all part of a “well-planned conspiracy”.
Twenty-four-year-old Sonam and 29-year-old Raja from Indore got married on May 11. After their wedding in Indore, Raja and Sonam travelled to Meghalaya for their honeymoon. They disappeared on May 23 after checking out of a homestay at Nongriat village; Raja’s body was found 20 km away on June 2.
Amid an intense search for “missing” Sonam, she surfaced in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur on Sunday night and surrendered at Nandganj police station. Police say she hired three hitmen – Akash Rajput (19), Vishal Singh Chauhan (22), and Anand Kurmi – to kill her husband. All five, including Sonam and Raj Kushwaha, have been arrested.