Raja Raghuvanshi murder case: Family gifted Rs 16L jewellery to Sonam; brother says she insisted husband wear gold on honeymoon

NEW DELHI: A day after Meghalaya Police recovered gold jewellery and electronic items linked to the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, the victim’s elder brother Vipin Raghuvanshi on Monday claimed that his family had gifted ornaments worth Rs 16 lakh to Raja’s wife and prime accused Sonam during their wedding. Vipin, who visited the Crime Prevention Branch office in Indore where a Meghalaya Police team is stationed, told reporters that he had shared photographs of the gold and silver items with investigators. "I was called for questioning. The Meghalaya Police team asked for pictures of the jewellery related to Raja and Sonam’s wedding. I don’t know which items have been recovered so far," he said. Vipin further claimed that Raja was wearing a gold chain and ring when he left for Meghalaya with Sonam on May 20. He alleged that Sonam had asked Raja to wear the ornaments during their honeymoon. “Raja had sent us a photo from the airport. After seeing it, my mother scolded him over the phone for wearing expensive jewellery. Raja said Sonam had insisted he wear them,” Vipin said. The Meghalaya Police on Sunday recovered jewellery, laptops and other materials from the maternal home of real estate businessman Shilom James in Ratlam. James is one of three accused arrested for allegedly helping the main conspirators by destroying or hiding evidence. East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem had earlier said, “The electronic devices and documents seized hold significant evidentiary value and may shed further light on the May 23 murder case involving Sonam Raghuvanshi and her lover Raj Kushwaha.” Raja, a real estate businessman from Indore, went missing three days after arriving in Meghalaya with Sonam. His mutilated body was recovered on June 2 from a gorge near a waterfall in Sohra. Police have so far arrested Sonam, her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha, and his three friends — Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi — on murder conspiracy charges. Three others, including James, have been held for allegedly tampering with evidence. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Meghalaya Police is probing the case.