Shillong: In a tragic development linked to the high-profile Meghalaya honeymoon murder case, the grandmother of Raj Kushwaha, the prime accused, passed away on Wednesday following a heart attack at her residence in Rampur village, Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
The 74-year-old woman, Ram Lalli, had reportedly been under immense emotional distress since her grandson’s name emerged in the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi.
According to her husband, Darbari Singh, Ram Lalli had been continuously defending Raj’s innocence ever since the shocking case came to light. She believed her grandson was being falsely implicated in the alleged murder conspiracy and had publicly claimed that more powerful players were behind the crime. Just a week ago, Lalli appeared before the media, stating, “Raj never had an affair with anyone. Sonam got her husband killed and is dragging Raj into this.”
Singh added that Ram Lalli’s health had been deteriorating due to mounting stress and heartbreak. He described Raj as a gentle and responsible young man who had taken on the burden of supporting his family after his father’s death during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally from Rampur village, the family had migrated to Indore over a decade ago after overcoming severe financial struggles.
Raj Kushwaha, a Class 12 pass-out, had been working as an accountant at a furniture sheet manufacturing unit owned by the family of Sonam Raghuvanshi, the deceased victim’s wife and the alleged mastermind behind the murder. The couple had tied the knot on May 11 and travelled to Meghalaya for their honeymoon on May 20. Raja went missing just three days into the trip, and his mutilated body was recovered on June 2 from a gorge near a waterfall in the Sohra area of East Khasi Hills district.
Sonam later surrendered to police in Ghazipur on June 8, while Raj and several other accused were arrested from multiple locations across Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Police believe Sonam planned her husband’s murder during the honeymoon, implicating a web of accomplices that includes Kushwaha.
With the case still under investigation by authorities in Meghalaya, local police in Fatehpur have declined to comment. Meanwhile, the sudden death of Ram Lalli has added another somber chapter to an already grim and complex case.