 "Indore couple missing in Meghalaya: Sonam Raghuvanshi — wife of the deceased Raja Raghuvanshi — along with three men accused of being contract killers hired to murder her husband during their honeymoon. Image courtesy: X")
As the investigation into the murder of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi during his honeymoon in Meghalaya continues, police have uncovered a new lead involving a man saved in Sonam Raghuvanshi’s phone as “Sanjay Verma.”
Sources say Sonam was in frequent contact with this number, which appears on Truecaller as “Sanjay Verma.” In the three weeks leading up to Raja’s death, she made over 200 calls to the number.
The high volume and duration of these calls raised red flags. Investigators began looking into who was really behind the number, and now, they believe they’ve cracked the mystery.
So, who exactly is Sanjay Verma? Why was Sonam in such regular contact with him? Here’s what we know so far.
Who is Sanjay Verma?
As the investigation progressed, police uncovered that Sonam Raghuvanshi had been in constant touch with a contact saved on her phone as “Sanjay Verma” in the weeks leading up to her marriage with Raja Raghuvanshi.
Surprisingly, the communication didn’t stop after the wedding. According to East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem, the calls continued well into the early days of her married life, he told PTI.
Call records accessed during the probe showed that between March 1 and April 8, Sonam and the man listed as “Sanjay” had spoken 234 times over 39 days. Many of these conversations stretched between 30 to 60 minutes, indicating a close and ongoing connection.
Once the pattern was established, police began searching for Verma in Indore. However, the number in question had since been switched off, making it difficult to trace.
Officers then turned to Sonam’s family for leads, but even her brother Govind claimed he had never heard of anyone by that name.
Speaking to reporters, Govind said, “I don’t know anything about Sanjay Verma. I had come to show you all the places where Raj used to work. Nothing has been seized from here. I have also learned today that Sanjay’s name is also coming up in this.”
The case took another turn when police noticed that the number listed as Sanjay Verma was last seen active on WhatsApp on June 8—the very day Sonam surrendered in Ghazipur, and all other accused were taken into custody.
Eventually, police discovered that “Sanjay Verma” was a fake name. The man behind the number was actually Raj Kushwaha, Sonam’s lover.
According to a report by NDTV, Sonam had saved his number under a false identity, likely in an attempt to avoid suspicion.
Earlier, police had revealed that Sonam went ahead with her marriage to Raja despite being in a relationship with Raj, the 20-year-old accountant employed at her family’s plywood business.
What have investigations revealed so far
The investigation into the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi has gained pace. On Tuesday, police revisited the crime scene with the accused to recreate the sequence of events.
During the crime scene reconstruction, all five accused were brought to multiple locations in Sohra and Nongriat villages to retrace their steps.
Meanwhile, the team also questioned Raja’s brothers at his home in Indore. Reports suggest the Shillong SIT team may question Sonam again, this time at her home.
Back in Shillong, the local team continues to question the accused. All the details gathered are being cross-verified with inputs from Indore.
Further, the SIT in Indore would determine whether a financial motive was also at play, beyond the suspected love triangle.
“Our team is in Indore and are questioning a few people to find out if somebody has to gain from Raja’s death,” SP Vivek Syiem told PTI.
Raja and Sonam got married on May 11 in Indore. The couple left for their honeymoon on May 20, reaching Meghalaya. But by May 23, they were reported missing near Sohra, about 65 km from Shillong.
His decomposed body was recovered on June 2 from a deep gorge near Wei Sawdong Falls. He was allegedly hacked to death with a traditional machete—known locally as a “dao".
After a days-long search for Sonam, she was located in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur and surrendered on June 8 at Nandganj police station.
This came just hours after the three alleged hitmen—Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Anand Kurmi—were arrested from different towns across Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Raj Kushwaha was arrested shortly after.
On June 11, police officials said that Sonam had confessed to her role in Raja’s murder during interrogation.
Following the shocking revelations, her brother, Govind, said that the family has completely severed ties with her.
He expressed his support for Raja’s grieving family, calling the incident devastating and vowing to stand with them in their pursuit of justice in a case that grabbed national headlines.
With input from agencies