BHOPAL: Two more arrests have been made in Madhya Pradesh in connection with the murder of Indore-based transporter Raja Raghuvanshi, who was killed on May 23 during a honeymoon trip to Meghalaya.
The Meghalaya Police, with assistance from local authorities, have arrested Indore-based building contractor Shilom James and private security guard Balveer Ahirwar from Indore and Ashok Nagar districts respectively. The duo has been accused of destroying a black trolley bag left behind by the prime conspirator, Sonam Raghuvanshi Raja’s widow, at a rented flat in Indore. The bag reportedly contained crucial evidence related to the murder.
James was apprehended on Saturday night while attempting to flee to Bhopal, whereas Ahirwar was arrested on Sunday morning from his native village in the Shadora area of Ashok Nagar district. Both men will be produced before a local court in Indore and taken on transit remand to Meghalaya for further investigation.
With these arrests, the total number of accused apprehended in the case has risen to seven. Among them are the deceased’s wife Sonam Raghuvanshi, her employee and alleged lover Raj Kushwah, and three hired killers who carried out the murder at Sonam and Raj’s behest in Sohra (Cherrapunjee), Meghalaya.
Investigations have revealed that James had rented a flat in Indore’s Dewas Naka area to one of the killers, Vishal Chauhan, on May 30. Sonam subsequently used this flat to hide in Indore between May 30 and June 7 before fleeing to Uttar Pradesh. She resurfaced dramatically in Ghazipur on June 9 after being missing for 17 days.
As James held the keys to the flat, he accessed the premises and found the black trolley bag left behind by Sonam. The bag allegedly contained her laptop, around Rs 5 lakh in cash, jewellery, and a pistol reportedly procured by Raj Kushwah from local arms suppliers in western Madhya Pradesh.
According to investigators, CCTV footage from a nearby showroom showed security guard Balveer Ahirwar handing over the black bag to Shilom James, who then took it away in a car. When summoned for questioning by the Meghalaya Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT), James attempted to flee and was apprehended at the Bhorasa toll booth on the outskirts of Indore.
Subsequent interrogation of both accused revealed that James had burnt the black bag behind his house in Indore, with Ahirwar’s assistance.
A police official close to the investigation stated, “Both James and Ahirwar have been arrested for aiding the accused in destroying crucial evidence. The bag was particularly important as it potentially contained Sonam’s laptop, cash, jewellery, and a pistol sourced by Raj Kushwah for the murder. The firearm was intended as a backup in case the three hired men failed to kill Raja Raghuvanshi using sharp-edged weapons purchased from Guwahati under Sonam’s direction.”
The investigation into the murder case continues, as the Meghalaya Police seek to uncover the full extent of the conspiracy and all those involved.
