Ghazipur, June 9 (IANS) Sahil Yadav, the owner of the Kashi Dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur road in Uttar Pradesh, has revealed crucial details about the dramatic moment when Sonam Raghuvanshi approached him early Monday, hours before she was arrested in connection with the murder of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi.

Sonam, who is accused of orchestrating her husband's murder during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, reportedly approached Yadav around 1 a.m., asking for help and a phone to contact her family.

"Last night around 1 a.m., Sonam Raghuvanshi was walking on the roadside and came to me asking for help. She asked for a mobile phone. When I asked what happened, she said her phone had been stolen, and it was urgent. She gave me a number, and I called for her. She spoke to her family," Yadav told IANS.

"She was crying so hard that she could barely speak. She asked for water, and I gave her the water. Since she couldn't talk properly, I spoke to them as well. They requested that I contact the nearest police station to ensure her safety," he said.

After a while, I went and asked her what had happened. She said that in May, she got married. She and her husband had gone to Meghalaya for their honeymoon, and Raja was killed while trying to protect her from a group of men who attempted to snatch her jewellery," Yadav said, adding that she "did not remember how she got to Uttar Pradesh."

Shortly after the call to her family, local police were informed, and Sonam surrendered formally at the Nandganj police station in Ghazipur.

Uttar Pradesh ADG (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash confirmed that Sonam was located at Kashi Dhaba and was initially sent to Sadar Hospital for medical examination. She is now being housed at the One Stop Centre in Ghazipur.

Meghalaya Police maintain that Sonam surrendered under pressure as the investigation, involving multiple states, intensified. Meghalaya IGP Dalton P. Marak confirmed to IANS that she will be brought back to the state for further interrogation and judicial proceedings.

In addition to Sonam, the police have arrested her alleged boyfriend Raj Singh Kushwaha and Vishal Singh Chauhan from Indore, Aakash Rajput from Lalitpur, and Anand from Sagar (Bina).

Investigations continue as authorities track further developments.

Sources earlier revealed that Sonam had a relationship with Raj Kushwaha prior to her marriage, and he is suspected to have masterminded the killing.

Raja Raghuvanshi's body was found in a gorge beneath the Weisawdong Parking Lot in Meghalaya, with a machete believed to be the murder weapon discovered nearby.

--IANS

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