Sonam’s behaviour struck Ujala, who called up Raja’s brother

Indore, June 16: There was something about Sonam Raghuvanshi’s behaviour that made Ujala Yadav, a college student from Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur, take notice of her on June 8.

“Her (Sonam Raghuvanshi) behaviour was different from other women, kind of restive. Probably, that is the reason I noticed her at the bus terminus and remembered her,” Ujala told Meghalaya Monitor on the phone.

In Indore, journalist Swati Shaiwal visited Raja Raghuvanshi’s house on Saturday afternoon. A dozen mediapersons were gathered in the hall near the Raghuvanshi residence, eager to know more about the case. Sachin Raghuvanshi, Raja’s brother, would be addressing the press.

Sachin was the first to speak to Ujala. She called him from Varanasi. Sonam was her co-passenger on the bus heading to Gorakhpur. Sachin told journalists that Ujala was crying when she told him about Sonam.

When Meghalaya Monitor contacted Ujala, she sounded confident. By then, several journalists from different media houses had already bombarded her with questions, and she had learned to tackle all questions with aplomb.

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“She was wearing a mask, and her head was covered with a dupatta. So, I did not see the face,” Ujala said. She met Sonam outside Varanasi railway station. “She asked for drinking water and it was then that I saw her face. For a moment, I thought about Sonam Raghuvanshi, but then I thought, how could she come here from Meghalaya? Probably, she too was dead,” she added.

Sonam repeatedly asked Ujala about Gorakhpur and how long it would take to reach there. Gorakhpur is close to the Nepal border. Is it possible that Sonam was planning to leave the country and take shelter in Nepal?

Sonam boarded the bus alone. However, Ujala saw two men with her outside the station. The two men were different from those arrested. This introduces two more suspects in the Raja murder case.

“She was wearing the same clothes in which she was found at the dhaba. She did not have a mobile phone and was carrying a small bag,” Ujala said, adding that Sonam took her phone, dialled a number and later deleted it.

Ujala was watching the videos of the Raja murder case on her phone when Sonam told her not to watch those.

While Ujala got down at her stop, Sonam continued her journey. When Ujala saw the news the next day, she recognised her. Her family was sceptical about her coming out with the information, but finally they decided to go ahead.

According to Sachin, Sonam’s behaviour was “absolutely normal” during the time she stayed at her in-laws’ house. However, when she went to her house, she took all the jewellery with her. “It was she who insisted on going to Shillong for the honeymoon. She also booked the tickets. Our only mistake was that we trusted her,” Sachin told mediapersons in Indore.

Sonam’s brother Govind, who was alleging kidnapping in the beginning, is now spending more time with the media and Sonam’s in-laws. But Raja’s family is treading cautiously and demanding a probe into Sonam’s family.

Sonam stayed in a hotel and a rented apartment

When it came to light that Sonam returned to Indore after Raja’s murder, some residents of a building in Hirabagh area near Dewas Naka in Indore contacted the media.

Shilom James, who works in property management, told the media that Vishal Chauhan had rented a flat in this building in his name and made a legal agreement for it. He also paid the rent for three months. The police were also informed about giving the flat on rent, which is the usual procedure.

Since the building is new, there are not many residents or tenants. There was no CCTV camera either. The surprising thing is that Sonam stayed in Indore from May 23 to June 7, first in a hotel and then in this apartment with a legal agreement. Despite this, the police did not have a clue about it. Meanwhile, Raj Kushwaha, one of the accused in the murder case, continued with his life and attended office regularly.

(With inputs from Nabamita Mitra in Shillong)