INDORE: Silence hangs like a shroud on the narrow lanes of Kushwaha Nagar in Indore’s Banganga area. This is where Sonam Raghuvanshi grew up as the girl next door — until a horrific crime propelled her into national infamy.On Monday, outside the modest two-storey house that is Sonam’s home, women gathered, murmuring, whispering, and glancing repeatedly at their phones. Every time a new update about the Raja-Sonam tragedy flashed across screens, gasps rippled through the group.The neighbourhood is trying to come to terms with the unthinkable — that Sonam, the soft-spoken, god-fearing girl they knew since childhood, could be the mastermind behind her husband Raja Raghuvanshi’s brutal murder during their honeymoon in Shillong.“We’re still in shock,” said Reena Kushwaha, 35, sitting outside her shop. “She was always smiling, respectful, and deeply involved in religious practices. Who would have imagined she could be part of something like this?”In this middle-class locality, Sonam was not just another face in the crowd. She had grown up here—celebrated festivals with everyone, led Dandiya sessions during Navratri, fasted on religious days, and prayed daily at the small temple her family had built at her request. “She used to sit there every morning, offering flowers, lighting incense,” said one of the elderly neighbours, eyes filled with disbelief.
