A honeymoon that should have marked the beginning of a joyful marriage instead turned into one of the most disturbing and widely discussed crime cases India has seen in years. What seemed like a romantic escape to the scenic hills of Shillong turned into a chilling story of manipulation, greed, and murder. Beneath Meghalaya’s lush greenery, a deadly plan was put into action — a plan that left a newlywed husband dead in a ravine and his wife facing accusations that shocked the entire country.
The tragic chain of events began on May 20, when a businessman named Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife, Sonam, left for what everyone believed would be a memorable and loving trip. Friends remembered the couple as cheerful and affectionate, still glowing from their recent wedding. Their photos together showed laughter, excitement, and dreams of a future filled with happiness. No one suspected that this trip would be the last time anyone saw Raja alive.
Only a few days into the getaway, contact with the couple stopped entirely. Calls were ignored. Texts went undelivered. Concern quickly turned into alarm. Raja’s family reported them missing, and a search operation was launched. But Shillong’s steep cliffs, unpredictable storms, and thick fog made rescue efforts slow and dangerous.
Then, investigators uncovered the first horrifying clue. Deep inside a rocky gorge, far from the main roads, search teams discovered Raja’s lifeless body. His injuries showed clear evidence of violence. Valuable belongings were gone, suggesting robbery — but detectives soon realized robbery was not the real motive.
Initially, authorities suspected jealousy. A man named Raj Kushwaha was identified as someone romantically linked to Sonam. It seemed like a simple love triangle gone wrong. But as police began digging deeper, the real story revealed something far more sinister.
Evidence pointed not to Raj as the mastermind — but to Sonam herself. According to police, she had carefully crafted a murder plot well before the wedding. She allegedly convinced Raj that the only way they could be together was if her husband no longer existed. She promised Raj love, money, and a future — but only after Raja was out of the picture.
Raj, blinded by his feelings, agreed. To help carry out the attack, he involved three other men — Vishal Singh, Anand Kurmi, and Akash Rajput. The group planned the murder step-by-step: where it would happen, how they would isolate Raja, and how they would escape afterward.
Throughout the honeymoon, Sonam stayed in constant contact with Raj. Phone records show she sent him updates about Raja’s movements, routines, and whereabouts. To Raja, she played the role of the perfect newlywed — posing for photos, sightseeing, and smiling — while secretly positioning him for his death.
Sometime between May 23 and 24, Raja was led to an isolated outdoor location. There, the attackers struck. Raja was shoved off the edge of a steep gorge, his body left exposed to the elements in hopes nature would destroy the evidence.
Meanwhile, Sonam returned to the hotel, acting as if nothing had happened. She messaged relatives casually and awaited the moment she could disappear from Shillong altogether.
Raj traveled back to Indore, believing he had secured his future with Sonam — but unknown to him, she had already chosen someone else. Investigators suspect she planned to eliminate Raj next to remove any trace of her involvement. Raj had merely been a pawn.
The truth finally came to light when police examined cell phone data. GPS signals, message logs, and suspicious voice recordings connected Sonam directly to the killers. With overwhelming evidence mounting against her, authorities tracked her down and arrested her on June 8.
During interrogation, she allegedly admitted to planning her husband’s murder, though she shifted full blame onto Raj for the actual killing. Police believe she was manipulating even in custody, trying to control the narrative one last time.
Detectives describe the crime as cold, calculated, and emotionless. A honeymoon meant to celebrate love had been nothing more than the final stage of a deadly deception.
The story triggered outrage across India. Newspapers dubbed it “The Honeymoon Murder.” People struggled to comprehend how someone could smile through wedding photos knowing she would soon betray her spouse in the worst way imaginable.
Raja’s friends remembered him as a loving husband and a man who genuinely believed he had married his soulmate. The knowledge that Sonam orchestrated his death left many heartbroken and furious.
Sonam, once seen as reserved and sophisticated, is now portrayed as manipulative and heartless — someone willing to trade human life for personal pleasure and financial gain. Her co-conspirators have since been arrested as well and face serious charges including murder, conspiracy, and destruction of evidence.
The case left the nation with chilling questions: How well do we ever truly know someone? How can love hide such dark intentions?
One police official expressed his shock plainly:
“This crime wasn’t driven by emotion — it was planned like a business deal. Every detail was executed with precision.”
As the legal process moves forward, the gruesome story continues to grip the country. Not because it was violent — but because it was intimate. A honeymoon, symbolizing trust and unity, became the backdrop for a deadly betrayal.
The fate of Raja Raghuvanshi serves as a somber reminder that appearances can be deceiving. Behind the romance and scenic photographs was a partner who valued personal gain over human life.
What should have been a happy beginning became a horrifying end — a reminder that sometimes the greatest danger comes not from strangers, but from the person you love and trust the most.