Police in India have taken into custody a woman who disappeared after her husband was found murdered during their honeymoon.
The woman, 25-year-old Sonam Raghuvanshi, reportedly surrendered to authorities.
Her disappearance had sparked a widespread campaign by both families, who believed she may have been abducted or killed.
However, police now claim Sonam hired assassins to kill her 30-year-old husband, Raja Raghuvanshi.
Four men have been arrested in connection with the case.
Sonam’s father, Devi Singh, is defending her. He said, “She is innocent and she cannot do this.”
The couple, from Indore in Madhya Pradesh, had married on 11 May in a ceremony supported by both families.
Raja’s brother, Sachin Raghuvanshi, told the BBC they had chosen the northeastern state of Meghalaya for their honeymoon because it had “very beautiful valleys.”
Another brother, Vipin Raghuvanshi, said the marriage had been arranged four months earlier. “They were both happy and there had been no fights between the couple before or after marriage.”
The couple left for Meghalaya on 20 May.
Four days later, they went missing.
Local police, disaster relief teams, and residents launched a search operation.
Video footage showed teams rappelling down mist-covered cliffs and hills. Officials said rain and low visibility hampered the search.
A week later, Raja’s decomposed body was found in a gorge.
His throat had been slit, and his wallet, gold ring, and chain were missing. Sonam had vanished.
The families accused Meghalaya police of inaction. The state’s chief minister defended the investigation.
The families pushed for a federal inquiry and wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last Friday, asking for justice and help locating Sonam.
On Monday morning, Meghalaya police chief Idashisha Nongrang announced that Sonam had surrendered at a police station in Ghazipur district, Uttar Pradesh.
Three other suspects were arrested in overnight raids.
“One person was picked up from Uttar Pradesh and another two accused were apprehended from Indore.
Sonam surrendered at the Nandganj police station and was subsequently arrested,” Nongrang said.
Police have not revealed a motive yet. Investigations are ongoing.
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Sonam’s father told ANI that she reached “a dhaba [roadside eatery] in Ghazipur last night where she borrowed a mobile phone and called her brother – who then called the police.”
He said he hasn’t spoken to her yet, but believes she “somehow managed to escape her captors” and insisted, “She is innocent.”
He also accused Meghalaya police of “making up stories” and urged Home Minister Amit Shah to order a federal investigation to uncover the truth.
Raja’s brother Vipin initially said he would “not accept Sonam’s involvement in the murder until she confessed.”
Later, he acknowledged that one of the arrested men worked in Sonam’s office. “Only Sonam can clarify. If she’s guilty, she should be punished.”
He added: “I now believe that Meghalaya government was not lying. They were telling the truth.”
Meghalaya’s Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma, praised the police for a “major breakthrough” in seven days.
Minister Alexander Laloo Hek said the police, government, and local people were unfairly blamed during the investigation.
“The truth has come out,” he said.
BBC.
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