New Twist in Meghalaya Honeymoon Murder: Sonam's Cousin Jitendra Raghuvanshi’s Account Used For Hitmen Payment

As the probe into the Meghalaya honeymoon murder case deepens, with fresh developments emerging almost daily, a new figure has come to light - Jitendra Raghuvanshi - potentially steering the investigation in a new direction.

So far, Meghalaya Police have arrested five individuals in connection with the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi: his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi; her alleged lover, Raj Kushwaha; and three men identified as Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput, and Anand Kurmi.

Photo Credit: PTI

All five suspects have been transferred to Meghalaya and were placed in police custody for eight days on Wednesday.

Who is Jitendra Raghuvanshi?

Jitendra Raghuvanshi is allegedly the person whose bank account was used by Sonam Raghuvanshi to make an initial payment to the hired killers on 23 May.

When questioned about Jitendra, Sonam's brother Govind told reporters on Wednesday that Jitendra is his cousin. Govind added that Sonam's UPI account was set up using Jitendra's name.

However, he denied any wrongdoing, explaining that Jitendra is a junior employee in the family business and that the account was regularly used for standard business transactions.

According to The New Indian Express, the funds used belonged to the family.

"We don't have to do anything with hawala. False stories are being cooked up. The man Jitendra Raghuvanshi, whose name is cropping up, is my maternal cousin as well as a junior employee in our family business, who looks after loading and unloading in the godown. The account in his name actually has that money of ours which is spent on taking care of the day-to-day expenditure of the business," Govind was quoted as saying.

Sonam's Brother Backs Raja's Family

Govind visited Sonam's in-laws in Indore on Tuesday to console the bereaved family. He also issued an apology on behalf of his family for Sonam's alleged involvement in Raja's murder.

He went on to say that he believed Sonam was responsible. "I met Sonam in Ghazipur for just two minutes and questioned her intensely. Her reactions were enough to make me realise she had committed the crime," he stated.

Govind added that the family has severed all ties with Sonam and is committed to helping Raja Raghuvanshi's family in their pursuit of justice.

The emergence of Jitendra's name has raised suspicions that Sonam may have used hawala routes to transfer money, putting her family's business under scrutiny for potential illegal financial links.