The Meghalaya police on Tuesday “successfully” reconstructed the crime scene in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case and recovered the second machete used in the killing of the Indore-based businessman during his honeymoon in the Sohra area on May 23.
Raja’s body was found in a deep gorge near Weisawdong on June 2.
East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem said: “The entire reconstruction of the murder and the accused’s escape route was played out today. We now have a clear picture. The reconstruction was very, very successful.”
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case took all five accused — Sonam Raghuvanshi (the deceased’s wife), her alleged lover Raj Singh Kushwaha, and his friends Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan and Anand Kurmi — to Sohra for the reconstruction, accompanied by forensic experts, police, and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).
All five were arrested under “Operation Honeymoon” launched by East Khasi Hills Police with support from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh police.
Raja and Sonam got married on May 11 in Indore and reached Sohra on May 22. They went missing the next day. A missing complaint was filed on May 24 after the couple failed to return from their homestay.
Police said on June 12 that Raj was the mastermind and Sonam was part of the conspiracy, which was allegedly hatched 11 days before the wedding. The group had tried to kill Raja three times before finally succeeding.
On Tuesday, the accused were taken to five locations, beginning with Mawlakhiat parking lot where their scooties were left. The reconstruction ended at Weisawdong, where personnel photographed the scene.
“We used a police official to reenact Raja’s role and identified positions. Sonam walked ahead while Raj’s friends flanked Raja. Vishal struck the first blow, Anand the second, and Akash delivered the fatal one before they threw the body into the gorge,” said Syiem.
The second machete was recovered near Weisawdong waterfalls following custodial interrogation. The first was found on June 3. Both weapons were brought from Guwahati.
Police are also probing if the motive goes beyond the Sonam-Raj relationship.
