On Thursday, the District Sessions Court in Shillong placed Sonam Raghuvanshi and Raj Kushwaha in police custody for two days, while three other suspects—Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Anand—were remanded to 14 days of judicial custody in relation to the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi.
Advocate Tushar Chanda confirmed the court's decision regarding the custody of the accused. East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police, Vivek Syiem, explained that the police requested a two-day remand to gather more evidence, as their team is currently in Indore. He mentioned the need for further questioning based on new information.
Syiem noted that the investigation is ongoing, particularly concerning the recovery of mobile phones linked to the case. He revealed that Sonam had three phones, two of which were destroyed, and the search for the third continues. The police have identified a taxi driver, Pramod Saha alias Piyush, who was involved in transporting Sonam during the investigation.
The police are also examining the murder weapon, which has been described as rusted. It will be sent to central forensics to check for any bloodstains. Syiem expressed the intention to file a chargesheet within 90 days.
The Meghalaya Police have arrested five individuals in connection with the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi, who was on his honeymoon when he went missing. His body was discovered in a gorge near Sohra (Cherrapunji) on June 2. Sonam was later located near a roadside dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur highway. Both Raja and Sonam are originally from Indore, Madhya Pradesh.