Honeymoon murder: Guide's clue nails killers

CASE INVOLVES A BRIDE, ALLEGED HITMEN, LOVE AFFAIR AND AN ATTACK

- BY STEPHEN N. R.

A statement from a local tourist guide — believed to be the last person to see Raja Raghuvanshi alive — sparked a murder investigation that has since spiralled into one of India’s most sensational true-crime stories.

The killing, dubbed the “honeymoon murder,” involves a young bride, alleged hired hitmen, a secret love affair and a machete attack in Meghalaya’s remote hills.

The last sighting

On the morning of May 23, Raja and Sonam Raghuvanshi — newlyweds from Indore, Madhya Pradesh — were spotted in Mawlakhiat village by Albert Pde, a local guide who had led the couple a day earlier on a trek to the famous ‘living root bridges’ in Nongriat.

Pde told police he saw the couple again — accompanied by three men who spoke in Hindi, a detail that led police to suspect they were not locals. This tip helped investigators widen their search, which soon uncovered what police believe was a coldly executed murder plot.