Honeymoon murder case: How a 'mangalsutra' made Sonam prime suspect in Raja Raghuvanshi's death, Meghalaya top cop reveals

NEW DELHI: Meghalaya police on Wednesday revealed that Sonam Raghuvanshi 'Mangalsutra' gave away her cover after allegedly killing her husband, Raj Raghuvanshi, during their honeymoon.Meghalaya's Director General of Police I Nongrang said that cops pursued Sonam as a prime suspect after they found her 'mangalsutra' and ring from the suitcase at the homestay in Sohra."We recovered Sonam's 'mangalsutra' and a ring from the suitcase the couple abandoned at a homestay in Sohra," DGP Nongrang said."A married woman leaving behind the ornaments gave us a clue to pursue her as a suspect in the case," he added.The couple walked into the homestay in Sohra on May 22 without any prior booking, another police officer, who is part of the investigation, told news agency PTI.They did not get a room there, and thus they decided to keep their suitcase at the homestay, as it would be troublesome to trek over 3,000 steps with it to the Nongriat village to see the double-decker root bridge, he said.While their suitcase remained at the Sohra homestay, they spent the night at a homestay in Nongriat before checking out early on May 23. They trekked back to Sohra, took their scooter from the parking, and went to Weisawdong Falls, where Raja was allegedly killed by the three contract killers in front of his wife, he added."The accused persons have admitted to the crime, and with all the evidence, there is no room to deny," the police officer said.Meanwhile, a Shillong court sent Sonam, along with her four aides, to eight-day police custody. Sonam was brought to Shillong on Tuesday midnight.Sonam (25) and Raja (29) got married in Indore on May 11 and reached Meghalaya via Guwahati in Assam on May 20 for their honeymoon. Both of them went missing on May 23 in Sohra in East Khasi Hills district, hours after checking out of a homestay at Nongriat village.Raja's body was found in a gorge near Weisawdong Falls on June 2. A search continued for Sonam, who emerged in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, around 1,200 km away, in the early hours of June 9 and surrendered, as police arrested her boyfriend Raj Kushwaha and the three contract killers hired by them to murder Raja.