Honeymoon horror: 'Mangalsutra' left by Sonamhelps investigators crack Meghalaya murder

Honeymoon murder case cracked in Meghalaya as Sonam surrenders in UP after husband Raja found dead near falls.

Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife Sonam had left their suitcase at a homestay in Sohra before going missing, and the 'mangalsutra' and a ring found in it helped investigators crack the honeymoon murder case, Meghalaya's Director General of Police (DGP) I Nongrang said on Wednesday (June 11, 2025).

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 his boyfriend Raj Kushwaha and the three contract killers hired by them to murder Raja.

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"We recovered Sonam's 'mangalsutra' and a ring from the suitcase the couple abandoned at a homestay in Sohra. A married woman leaving behind the ornaments gave us a clue to pursue her as a suspect in the case," DGP Nongrang told PTI.

'Mangalsutra' is a sacred necklace worn by married Hindu women, signifying their bond with their husband.

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 PTI.