NEW DELHI: Sonam Raghuvanshi’s father has claimed her innocence after she was arrested by the UP Police on Monday for allegedly hiring people to kill her husband during their honeymoon in Meghalaya. He accused the Meghalaya Police was “lying” after they claimed that she “hired” assailants to kill her spouse. “My daughter is innocent. I have trust in my daughter. She cannot do this (kill her husband)… They got married with the consent of both families. The state (Meghalaya) Government has been lying from the beginning,” Devi Singh said.“We were thinking of meeting Madhya Pradesh CM and then Union HM Amit Shah to request a CBI inquiry. Meghalaya Police is making up stories. Let the CBI inquiry begin, all officers at the police station (in Meghalaya) will be behind bars,” he added.Meghalaya director general of police (DGP) I Nongrang claimed that Sonam hired assailants to kill her husband Raja Raghuvanshi.

‘Meghalaya Police lying’

Accusing the Meghalaya Police of “making up stories” in the murder case, Sonam’s father said that his daughter “reached Ghazipur on her own” and wasn’t “arrested in Meghalaya”.“My daughter came to a dhaba in Ghazipur last night and she called her brother…Police went to the dhaba, and she was taken from there. I have not been able to speak to my daughter,” he said.“Why will my daughter do such a thing (kill her husband)? The Meghalaya Police is lying. My daughter reached Ghazipur on her own. She was not arrested in Meghalaya,” he added.

‘Sonam surrendered in UP’

Meghalaya DGP Nongrang informed that “Sonam surrendered at the Nandganj police station in UP, and was subsequently arrested”.She said that the arrested men confessed to being hired by Sonam for the murder, adding, “The operation is still continuing in Madhya Pradesh to catch some more persons involved in the crime.”“One person was picked up from UP, and another two accused were apprehended from Indore by the SIT,” she said.

‘Sonam has not been arrested’: Raja’s brother

Dismissing the reports of arrest as “rumours”, murdered Raja Raghuvansi’s brother Vipin said, “The police have not made any arrest, and she has not surrendered either – these are all rumor being spread. The DGP is saying she is the killer, but as of now, Sonam hasn’t even been questioned properly. Nothing has been officially said to her yet.”“Yesterday, Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi made a call to Govind. She said, ‘I am Bitti speaking, brother.’ So we told her, ‘First show your face, who are you?’ Then Sonam did a video call from there, and only after that did we confirm it was her. Then we called the UP Police, and they reached there and took Sonam with them. She was just sitting there,” he added.

What UP Police said?

UP Police said that they have not interrogated Sonam and would hand her over to Meghalaya Police who are on there way to Ghazipur.“Sonam Raghuvanshi called her family members at around 3 AM and informed them that she was present at the Kashi Dhaba on Varanasi-Ghazipur main road. Ghazipur Police took her to the hospital and then to the One Stop Centre in Ghazipur,” ADG law and order, Uttar Pradesh, Amitabh Yash said.“Sonam Raghuvanshi will be handed over to Meghalaya Police as soon as they reach Ghazipur. UP Police has not interrogated Sonam Raghuvanshi,” he added.

Meghalaya CM congratulates state police

Extending his congratulations for cracking the case in just seven days, Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangama said, “Within 7 days a major breakthrough has been achieved by the #meghalayapolice in the Raja murder case … 3 assailants who are from Madhya Pradesh have been arrested, female has surrendered and operation still on to catch 1 more assailant .. well done” tagging state police.Indore resident Raja Raghuvanshi was found dead near Cherrapunji on Friday during his honeymoon in Meghalaya.Police teams from Meghalaya and Indore are heading to Ghazipur to further the investigation and escort Sonam back to Meghalaya.