Honeymoon murder
SHILLONG, June 24: Meghalaya Police believe that greed drove three newly-arrested individuals to destroy crucial evidence in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case.
Debris collected from Indore, including burnt items suspected to be electronic devices, have been sent for a forensic test.
The police said it was only after the five accused persons were arrested and brought to Shillong that they discovered Raja’s wife and one of the prime accused in the case – Sonam Raghuvanshi – had stayed in a flat in Indore.
Stating that the destruction of evidence is an offence, the police said evidence connecting the crime scene at Weisawdong Falls to the Indore flat is vital.
Three individuals – Lokendra Singh Tomar, Silome James and Balbir Singh – were arrested recently for allegedly destroying evidence, including items belonging to Sonam and Raja that were transported to the flat in Indore.
The trio is being brought to Shillong on Wednesday.
“From their actions, it is clear they are guilty of destroying evidence. They took off in different directions – Haridwar, Bhopal and Ashok Nagar – which shows consciousness of guilt,” the police said.
The police ruled out their involvement in the murder but emphasised that they played a key role in attempting to erase evidence, including potentially Raja’s gold chain and cash.
Asked if the case is still being seen through the lens of a love triangle, the police said Raj Kushwaha and Sonam were in a relationship.
The motive seemed to have stemmed from that relationship and a desire to eliminate Raja from the picture, the police said, adding they believed they could get away with it.
The police have already conducted a crime scene reconstruction and gathered sufficient evidence, including confessions purportedly made by the accused.
Meanwhile, the police dismissed the demand of Raja’s family for narco tests on the accused persons, stating that they do not think the same is required at this stage.
“Narco analysis is actually banned by the Supreme Court. Narco test is not admissible in court. It will just give us an idea or a clue from there. When they have already admitted to the crime, we have done the reconstruction and recorded evidence at the place of occurrence, we don’t see why we should go for narco analysis at this stage,” the police said.
The police added that they are focused on building strong evidence and are not just relying on confessions. They are optimistic about filing the chargesheet soon.
Truth has emerged: CM
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said the state is relieved that the truth has emerged in the murder case, noting that arrests have been made on the strength of evidence. He appealed to the media to avoid prolonging the matter unnecessarily.
“For me, the larger picture was regarding the overall situation that happened and we are just happy as a state, as people and as a region that the truth has come out,” the chief minister said, adding it was based on evidence that some persons were arrested.
He declined to delve into the specifics of investigation. “I don’t want to get in the minute details of the case as the SP is handling. I am not in a position. I am not investigating the case, so I don’t really know,” he told reporters.
He underlined that the incident should no longer cloud Meghalaya’s reputation. “What is important and clear is that the negative which was there towards safety concerns in Meghalaya is laid to rest,” he added.