Shillong, June 15: A dramatic new twist has emerged in the ongoing Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, with a key witness coming forward to shed light on the movements of the accused, Sonam Raghuvanshi, just hours before her surrender.
Ujala Yadav, who was coincidentally seated next to Sonam on a bus journey from Varanasi to Ghazipur, has provided crucial details that contradict Sonam’s previous statements to the police and suggest a possible attempt to flee to Nepal.
According to Ujala Yadav, a resident of Ghazipur, she boarded a bus from Varanasi around 10 PM on June 8. To her surprise, Sonam Raghuvanshi, whose face was covered with a scarf, also boarded the same bus from Varanasi, and sat next to her.
Varanasi is approximately 950 kms from Indore, where she was reported to be staying in a rented flat for 14 days – from May 26 to June 8, post of the murder of Raja in Sohra, Meghalaya on May 23.
However, due to night time and her faced being covered with a scarf, she could not identify Sonam. She approached Ujala to enquire about the bus number, timing and ticketing. When Ujala told her to check this information online and asked if her ticket was confirmed, Sonam told her that she did not have a mobile phone with her at the moment.
Sonam then left and boarded just before the bus was about to leave.
Furthermore, Ujala Yadav revealed that two unidentified men dropped Sonam at the Varanasi bus station. These individuals are reportedly different from the four men already arrested in connection with Raja Raghuvanshi’s murder, suggesting that there might be more individuals involved in Raja’s murder and it is a deeper conspiracy than thought.
Once in the bus, Sonam asked Ujala for water, that is when she removed her scarf to reveal her face. But, she could not identity Sonam as there were only dimly lit LEDs in the bus as the driver had switched off the main lights, as is usually done when buses travel at night.
Also, she couldn’t think of the possibility that Sonam would be sitting next to her. As per the news she was following, people were searching for Sonam in Meghalaya, who was also presumed to have lost her life in the tough terrains of the hilly state. At the same time, she didn’t think that Sonam would travel from Meghalaya to Varanasi. Further, Sonam was without make-up whereas Ujala had only seen pics and videos of her in her wedding dress and heavy make-up. All these factors contributed to Ujala not recognizing Sonam, while sitting next to her.
Notably, Ujala recounted that on the bus when she was watching news about Raja Raghuvanshi’s murder on her phone. Sonam reportedly told her not to watch such “useless things”, which forced Ujala to put away her phone.
Also, she stated that Sonam did not talk much on the bus, occasionally only asking about the distance and time to reach Gorakhpur. Ujala deboarded the bus ahead of Sonam, about 8-10 kms before reaching Nandganj.
Sonam Raghuvanshi surrendered to the police around 3 AM on June 9 at Nandganj in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, hours after her bus journey with Ujala Yadav.
Ujala only realized her identity the following morning after seeing news reports and viral photos of Sonam’s surrender. She noted that Sonam appeared “well” when she boarded the bus, contradicting any potential claims of distress or injury at that time.
Ujala’s statement has added a new twist to the narration of Sonam and the four others in custody of Meghalaya Police, who told police that Sonam was headed for Siliguri when she decided to surrender at Ghazipur.
This new information has hinted at the possibility that Sonam may have wanted to cross over to Nepal from Gorakhpur, which is a known transit point for border crossings.
Meghalaya Police are reportedly in contact with Ujala Yadav to gather further information. She is also in touch with Raja’s family.
The family of Raja Raghuvanshi has already demanded for a narco test for Sonam and other accused, saying this will reveal the whole truth.
Meanwhile, Meghalaya Police have not has not commented on the latest development as they continue to interrogate the five accused in Raja’s murder case.
The five arrested for Raja’s murder are Sonam Raghuvanshi – Raja Raghuvanshi’s wife and prime accused, Raj Kushwaha – Sonam Raghuvanshi’s alleged lover and believed to be the mastermind behind the murder, Vishal Singh Chauhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi – the three men allegedly hired to carry out the murder.
