Indore tourist killed by men hired by wife during honeymoon in Meghalaya, 4 arrested: Police
Shillong (PTI): Indore tourist Raja Raghuvanshi was allegedly killed by men hired by his wife during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, DGP I Nongrang said on Monday morning.
Speaking to PTI, she said the wife, Sonam, surrendered before the police in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, while three other assailants were arrested in overnight raids.
Raghuvanshi and his wife went missing while vacationing in Meghalaya's Sohra area on May 23. His body was found in a gorge on June 2, while a search for his wife was underway.
"One person was picked up from UP, and another two accused were apprehended from Indore by the SIT," the DGP said.
"Sonam surrendered at the Nandganj police station in UP, and was subsequently arrested," she added
Nongrang said the arrested men have revealed that the wife had hired them to kill Raghuvanshi.
"The operation is still continuing in Madhya Pradesh to catch some more persons involved in the crime," she said.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma congratulated the state police for cracking the case that had shocked the nation.
"Within 7 days a major breakthrough has been achieved by the #meghalayapolice in the Raja murder case... 3 assailants who are from Madhya Pradesh have been arrested, female has surrendered and operation still on to catch 1 more assailant… well done," he posted on X.
PTI had on Saturday reported that a tourist guide in Mawlakhiat, Albert Pde, had seen Raghuvanshi and his wife with three men on the day they went missing.
Albert said that he had seen the couple accompanied by three men as they were climbing over 3,000 steps from Nongriat to Mawlakhiat around 10 am on May 23.
He said he recognised the couple as he had offered his services to them on the previous day to climb down to see the famed living roots bridge in Nongriat, but they had politely refused and hired another guide.
He also said that all three men accompanying the couple were speaking in Hindi, indicating that they were not locals.
The families of the husband and the wife had sought a CBI investigation.
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.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Saturday said he has requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah to order a CBI probe into the case.
On Friday, Sonam's family urged the Centre to hand over the case to the CBI, expressing dissatisfaction with the probe of the Meghalaya Police.
"My daughter has been abducted and is still in the clutches of her captors. Meghalaya Police are not investigating the matter properly. They have been negligent right from the beginning. I have been seeking the deployment of the Army since the day they went missing. If it was done in time, they would have been found safely," Sonam's father, Devi Singh Raghuvanshi, told PTI.
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.
A special investigation team (SIT) headed by an SP and assisted by four DSPs was probing the matter.
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Two held for 'firing' at BJP leader's house in Bengal
Kolkata (PTI): A day before the counting of votes for the West Bengal assembly elections, two persons were arrested on Sunday for allegedly being involved in a firing incident outside the residence of a BJP leader in North 24 Parganas district, police said.
BJP leader Kundan Singh lodged a police complaint, alleging that a few gunmen fired at his house in the Noapara constituency around Saturday midnight.
Based on the CCTV footage, the two accused were apprehended, a senior officer said.
BJP's Noapara candidate Arjun Singh, in a post on social media, claimed that around 12.05 am, two armed miscreants arrived on a motorcycle at the residence of Kundan Singh, a BJP functionary and secretary of the Barrackpore organisational district, with an "intent to kill him".
According to the BJP leader, the accused are residents of Garulia and are known criminals.
Their names as offenders had been submitted to the Election Commission, he said.
The police officer did not specify whether the two arrested persons were the same individuals named by Arjun Singh.
According to the complaint, one round of firing took place outside Kundan Singh's house, triggering panic in the area.
The BJP candidate also questioned the role of the police, claiming that one of the accused had been detained by the police on the polling day but was later released in the evening.
The Noapara assembly seat went to the polls on April 29.
Several BJP leaders alleged that attempts were being made to create an atmosphere of fear ahead of the counting and weaken the organisation of the opposition parties.
The counting of votes will take place on May 4. Polling for the West Bengal assembly elections was held on April 23 and April 29.
The BJP urged the Election Commission to intervene immediately to ensure peaceful counting.
TMC candidate Somnath Shyam rubbished Arjun Singh’s allegation, claiming that the BJP nominee had orchestrated the firing incident to divert attention from imminent defeat.
“Arjun Singh knows all the gangsters in the Barrackpore belt. Everyone knows about his links with the underworld. Let the police investigate the incident,” Shyam said.
