Wedding Caterer Seeks Recovery of Alleged Outstanding Payment in Raja Raghuvanshi Case

PTI, August 4, 2026, Indore : Nearly 15 months after the marriage of local businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, who was killed during his honeymoon in Meghalaya, the wedding caterer on Tuesday approached the police here to seek their help in the recovery of alleged outstanding payment of Rs 2.82 lakh, an official said.

The caterer said he had contacted both the families several times over his dues, but the two sides blamed each other over the issue.

The police, however, declined to take action on the complaint, stating that the civil dispute between the two parties did not merit police intervention.

Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, had gone to Meghalaya for their honeymoon in May 2025, a few days after their wedding, where Raja was murdered. The Meghalaya Police had arrested Sonam, her alleged lover, Raj Kushwaha, and three hired killers in connection with the murder.

Indore-based caterer Hitesh Rohira said that Raja and Sonam's families had jointly awarded him a contract for catering at the wedding, amounting to Rs 11,42,550.

He claimed that he received Rs 8,60,000 of this amount, while Rs 2,82,550 is yet to be paid.

Rohira said he had contacted Raja's elder brother, Vipin Raghuvanshi, and Sonam's elder brother, Govind Raghuvanshi, several times regarding the outstanding amount, but both were blaming each other for the non-payment.

He said he had also sent a legal notice to Vipin and Govind through his lawyer on April 1, but he has failed to get the outstanding amount.

The caterer said he went to the Dwarkapuri police station to file a complaint against Vipin and Govind, but his case was not registered.

When asked about this, the Dwarkapuri police station in-charge, Manish Mishra, said that the dispute over money transactions between the two parties does not merit police intervention, as it is a civil case.

Meanwhile, Raja's brother, Vipin Raghuvanshi, said, "The caterer was booked by Sonam's elder brother Govind. Our family has no outstanding transactions with the caterer."

Sonam's brother, Govind Raghuvanshi, claimed that almost all the amount of the caterer has been settled.

"Where was the caterer all this time? Nearly 15 months after the wedding, he is claiming pending payment just to get cheap publicity," Govind said.

Raja and Sonam had gone missing during their honeymoon in Meghalaya last year. Raja's body was later recovered from a deep gorge near a waterfall in the Sohra (Cherrapunji) area of East Khasi Hills district.

Sonam was arrested from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh on June 9, 2025, for allegedly conspiring with her alleged lover, Raj Kushwaha, and three hired killers to murder her husband. She spent more than 10 months in judicial custody in Shillong before being released on bail.

On July 23, the Supreme Court set aside the bail granted to Sonam and directed her to surrender within three weeks before the police.