In what appeared to be a missing person's case, it turned out to be a suspected well-planned conspiracy to kill the husband in the Meghalaya honeymoon case. After days of intensified searches, Sonam Raghuvanshi, wife of deceased Raja Raghunavshi, was arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, 1,200 km away from the northeastern state, on Monday.

The Meghalaya Police has arrested a total of five accused in the case, which they hinted had stemmed from an alleged affair of Sonam with Raj Kushwaha.

The police have said that Sonam allegedly planned the murder and hired hitmen days after her wedding to Raja Raghuvanshi. Here is the timeline of what happened in 18 days

May 22: Sonam and Raja Raghuvanshi reached Mawlakhait village in Meghalaya and undertook a 3,000-step trek to Nongriat. Nongriat is known for its iconic living root bridges. They checked into a homestay and spent the night there.

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May 23: The couple left the homestay for Mawlakhait village without a guide. They were last spotted while leaving the homestay. They rented a scooter.

May 24: Their scooter was found 20 km from the homestay near a cafe along the Shillong-Sohra road after villagers informed the police. The initial search was started by the police with the help of local villagers.

May 27: Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav called Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma for assistance.

May 29- 31: Heavy rainfall of 500 mm lashed Sohra, stalling search efforts by the police.

June 2: Raja's body was recovered and sent to the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences for post-mortem. Search for Sonam continued as police also recovered a blood-stained machete and a raincoat.

June 3: NDRF joins the search operation to trace Sonam, who was suspected to have gone missing.

June 4: The Meghalaya Police found a woman's shirt, a strip of medicine, a mobile phone LCD's broken part, and a smart watch. The police registered a murder case. Raja's family demanded a CBI probe alleging murder.

June 6: CCTV footage surfaced from May 23 showing the couple arriving at Manha Hotel in Saitsohpen, Sohra, on a scooter. They had a suitcase with them. They were seen leaving the suitcase at the hotel after they failed to get a room there.

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June 7: A Local tourist guide in Meghalaya named Albert Pde, the couple was accompanied by three male tourists on the day they went missing from the Sohra area.

June 9: At 3 am, Sonam reached Kashi Dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur main road. According to the Dhaba owner, crying Sonam asked him to make a call to her family. He later informed the police, after which Sonam surrendered before the Nandganj Police Station in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur.

Later, the police arrested four other individuals in overnight raids: Raja Kushwaha, the alleged boyfriend and the mastermind, Vicky Thakur, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Akash Rajput.

(With inputs from agencies)