Raja Raghuvanshi murder case: Prime accused Sonam's mental test found normal

Shillong, June 16 (IANS) The Meghalaya Police, on Monday, conducted a mental examination of Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, officials said. 

A police official said that Sonam was taken to the Meghalaya Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (MIMHANS) for "mental assessment" as part of psychiatric routine examination.

As per the advice of the Medical Officer of Ganesh Das hospital in Shillong, Sonam's "mental assessment" was done at the MIMHANS hospital and found her mental health is "sound and good", the official added.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Meghalaya Police, which is probing the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, likely took Sonam and other co-accused to Wei Sawdong parking lot on Tuesday for reconstruction of the crime scene.

The two SIT teams together with the Madhya Pradesh Police and Uttar Pradesh Police arrested Sonam (24) and four others -- Raj Singh Kushwaha, 21 (Sonam's alleged lover), Anand Singh Kurmi, 23, Akash Rajput, 19, and Vishal Singh Chauhan, 22.

Kushwaha had allegedly plotted the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi much before Sonam and Raja's marriage on May 11.

The decomposed body of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi (28) was found from a gorge below the Wei Sawdong parking lot at Sohra-Cherrapunji areas in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district on June 2, eight days after the couple went 'missing' during their honeymoon tour from the popular tourist destination in the northeastern state.

After the recovery of Raja's body, Meghalaya Police formed the SIT and changed its course of investigation and arrested all five accused in the murder case.

All the five accused, including Sonam, were presented at the District and Session Court in Shillong on June 11.

The court sent all five accused to eight days' police custody.

The three SIT teams of Meghalaya Police separately questioned the five accused.

Picture Courtesy: IANS