Lucknow/Patna (Bihar), June 10 – Meghalaya Police has obtained a three-day transit remand of the main accused in the murder case of Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi. Meghalaya Police has taken Sonam Raghuvanshi to Phulwari Sharif police station in Patna, Bihar. Sonam is being taken to Shillong on transit remand.
Earlier on Monday, Meghalaya Police had obtained transit remand of three other accused in the murder case. Additional DCP (Crime) Rajesh Dandotia told news agency ANI, “All of them were produced before the CJM judge and Shillong Police has got a 7-day transit remand.
The fourth accused in the case, Anand, has been brought to Indore from Sagar, Bina (Madhya Pradesh) and will be produced in court on Tuesday. The Shillong police will take these four to Meghalaya.'' Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Preston Tinsong has confirmed that four people have been arrested in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case. He said that the authorities are still searching for one suspect.
Earlier, Indore-based Sonam Raghuvanshi (24) was produced in a local court in Ghazipur late on Monday night and transit remand was sought. Meghalaya police had reached here on Monday evening to take her into custody. Sonam surrendered before the UP police in Ghazipur early on Monday.
The court proceedings continued till late night. Apart from Sonam, the police have arrested three people, Akash Rajput, a resident of Lalitpur, and two others from Indore. Police have so far arrested five people in the case.
Ghazipur SP Iraj Raja said that Sonam was arrested from Kashi Dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur main road. She was sent to Sadar Hospital for treatment and later kept at the One Stop Centre, where medical and legal aid is provided to women in distress. The Dhaba staff told reporters that Sonam had asked for a phone to call her parents in Indore. Through this call, the Madhya Pradesh Police traced her location.
Later, contact was made with the Uttar Pradesh Police and thus Sonam's arrest was possible. A Meghalaya Police team took Sonam into custody from the One Stop Centre around 6:30 pm on Monday. Although Sonam was arrested from the dhaba, the police said that Sonam surrendered at the Nandganj police station in Ghazipur district.
Meanwhile, Sonam's brother Govind also reached Ghazipur from Meghalaya. He told reporters, "If he is guilty, he should be given the death penalty. Whatever decision the government takes, we will accept it." When Govind was asked if he had spoken to Sonam, he said, "I don't know anything at the moment. I don't have any idea. I haven't met her yet. I haven't slept for the last 17 days... I was searching for her in collaboration with the Meghalaya police."