In a major development in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, all four accused were produced before Magistrate Shashank Singh at his residence in the Residency area in Madhya Pradesh's Indore. The key accused -- Raj Kushwaha, Akash Rajput, Vishal Chauhan, and Anand -- were presented under tight security. After the hearing, Magistrate Shashank Singh granted a seven-day transit remand, approving Meghalaya Police's request to take custody of the accused for further investigation.
A joint team comprising Indore Crime Branch officials and Meghalaya Police brought the accused to the magistrate's residence for legal formalities. The Shillong Police are expected to escort the suspects late tonight for investigation.
Raja Raghuvanshi was allegedly killed during a honeymoon trip in Meghalaya by contract killers reportedly hired by his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi. Following the arrest of four people in the Indore couple case, Meghalaya Special Investigation Team (SIT) Chief Herbert Pyniaid Kharkongor said that, according to the post-mortem report, the deceased Raja Raghuvanshi sustained two head injuries. "Post mortem saying two head injuries with a sharp cutting weapon," Kharkongor said.
Sonam Raghuvansi, the wife of late Raja Raghuvanshi, was found near a dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur main road, said a senior police official of Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday. Earlier, Meghalaya Police visited Sakhi-One Stop Centre in Ghazipur, where Sonam Raghuvanshi, was kept. Afterwards, she was taken to the District Hospital for medical examination. The Madhya Pradesh Police have also deployed personnel outside Sonam's residence in Indore.
What is the case?
After their marriage on May 11, the couple left for Meghalaya on May 20 for their honeymoon. They arrived at Mawlakhiat village on May 22 on a rented scooter. On May 24, their scooter was found abandoned at a cafe along the road from Shillong to Sohra, following which the search for them began.
Raghuvanshi's body was found in a gorge near Weisawdong Falls. A gold ring and a neck chain were found missing from his body, further leading to suspicion that he was murdered. A day later, a bloodstained machete was found nearby, and two days later, a raincoat that was similar to the one used by the couple was found in Mawkma village, halfway between Sohrarim and the gorge where Raghuvanshi's body was found.
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