The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Meghalaya Police, which is investigating the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, has recovered key evidence, including jewellery, a laptop, and other incriminating materials. The items were found in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh, at the house of the in-laws of Silome James, an Indore-based property dealer.
The recovered jewellery belonged to both Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife, Sonam, who is the prime accused in the murder. Besides the jewellery, the SIT also seized a laptop, a pen drive, and several incriminating documents. East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem stated that the electronic devices and documents hold significant evidentiary value and may shed further light on the May 23 murder case involving Sonam Raghuvanshi and her lover, Raj Kushwaha.
Silome James had rented out a flat in Indore to Vishal Singh Chauhan, one of the three men who allegedly helped Sonam in killing her husband. Chauhan moved into the flat after returning from Meghalaya following the murder. James was arrested earlier on suspicion of tampering with evidence and hiding incriminating material linked to the case. The owner of the flat, Lokendra Tomar, and the security guard, Balveer, have also been arrested for tampering with evidence.
According to police, Sonam is believed to have stayed in the Indore flat rented out by James between May 26 and June 8, before she surrendered to the police. During interrogation, James told the SIT that he moved the items to his in-laws' house in Ratlam.
Earlier, James led the police to recover a country-made pistol with two magazines and two .32 ammunition, along with Rs 50,000 in cash, from a drain in Indore. Reports indicated that James had allegedly disposed of a black bag belonging to Sonam, which was believed to contain crucial evidence including cash, her jewellery, a pistol, and clothes. Charred remains of a bag were previously recovered from a vacant plot based on James's input. The SIT suspects that James removed the contents of the bag before burning it.
SP (City) Herbert Kharkongor said that CCTV camera footage showed Silome James taking out the bag from the flat where Sonam stayed after the murder. He added that while the bag was found burnt, the items inside, including a pistol, were recovered later from elsewhere, clarifying that the contents were removed by the accused.
The SIT has confirmed that the hitmen procured the murder weapon, a machete, in Guwahati before arriving in Shillong on May 21. All individuals involved arrived around the same time and traveled to Sohra soon after. Sonam, who fled the scene by taxi, was arrested in Uttar Pradesh on June 9. Her mangalsutra and a ring were found abandoned at a Sohra homestay, further implicating her.
The SIT, led by Sub-inspectors Anthony Khongsit and Karan Pachua, with the assistance of officers from Alkapuri Police Station, conducted the operation. The police investigation revealed that the attack was calculated and that the three men were close friends of Raj and killed him as a favour to Sonam.
