SONAM CALLED SANJAY VERMA 234 TIMES PRIOR TO MARRIAGE WITH RAJA
The Raja Raghuvanshi murder case has taken a new turn with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Meghalaya Police uncovering that Sonam Raghuvanshi, the widow of Raja, was in regular contact with one person identified as Sanjay Verma.
Call detail records (CDRs) from Sonam’s mobile number 97701-17734 showed that she was in frequent contact with Sanjay Verma via a registered mobile number 78793-76225.
The CDRs reveals that Sanjay Verma, whom the SIT have yet to identify his real identity, was in constant touch with Sonam over the phone prior to her marriage with Raja on May 11.
The mobile conversation between the two lasted for hours between March and April 2025. Sonam spoke to Sanjay Verma 234 times in 21 days.
Interestingly, the mobile number 78793-76225 is currently switched off and the whereabouts of Sanjay Verma is unknown.
“All angles are being probed. We are working on it. At the moment we cannot share any details,” Director General of Police, Idashisha Nongrang said when asked about the credentials of Sanjay Verma.
The SIT, which is investigating into the Raja’s murder case, is trying to piece together new evidence that is emerging every day to build a stronger case.
“We have located all the four phones of the accused persons and also the victim,” the DGP said, adding that one of the phones which were damaged by the accused persons was found near the body of Raja.
The decomposed body of Raja was found from a gorge below the Wei Sawdong parking lot on June 2, eight days after the couple was reported they went missing during their honeymoon to Sohra, a popular tourist destination in Meghalaya.
Nongrang said two mobile phones belonged to Sonam and the fourth to one of the other accused persons.
“All these phones, except one, were damaged by the accused persons and they discarded these at different locations in Shillong-Sohra,” she said.
The SIT of Meghalaya Police, which is currently in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, are actively working to analyse and piece together new digital evidence in their ongoing investigation.
The investigators also questioned Sonam’s family members and for nearly two hours and recorded their statements.
On Tuesday, the SIT also interrogated Raja’s family members and recorded their statements.
Sources said, Sonam’s brother Gobind Raghuvanshi would be brought here in Shillong for questioning and to assist the investigation.
Another SIT would be headed to Uttar Pradesh, where one of the accused Akash Rajput is a resident of Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh.
Sonam surrendered at the Nanganj Police Station in Ghazipur district on June 8 hours after the SIT arrested Raj Singh Kushwaha, Akash Rajput and Vishal Singh Chauhan and Anand Kurmi in connection with the murder of Raja on May 23 at Wei Sawdong parking lot.
Nongrang said that Sonam and Raj Kushwaha (the other prime accused) are “giving contradictory” statements to the investigators.
“However, the other three accused – Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan and Anand Kurmi – are giving statements far less contradictory,” She said.
Meanwhile, all the five accused will be produced before the court on Thursday after completing eight days of police custody. The SIT is expected to seek additional police remand of all the accused persons.