BHOPAL: Raj Kushwaha, the 21-year-old arrested for allegedly plotting with Sonam Raghuvanshi to kill her newly-wed husband, stood silently beside the grieving family during Raja Raghuvanshi’s funeral.After Sonam and Raj were arrested, both families recalled with horror that he held Sonam’s father in his arms, murmuring words of assurance. Raj, who lived just a few lanes away from Sonam’s house until a year and a half ago, was not only well-known to the Raghuvanshi family but deeply trusted. He had worked in the family’s business, handling billing and accounts. No one suspected the designs he was hiding behind his calm exterior, say police.While Meghalaya police and the two families were frantically searching for the couple in Meghalaya, Raj remained in Indore — playing his part to perfection, say investigators.During this time, Raja’s elder brother Vipin, who had gone to Meghalaya with Sonam’s brother Govind, said he repeatedly overheard Govind speaking with Raj on the phone. “Govind kept saying, ‘I’ve left everything to you, please manage the business while I’m away in Shillong,'” Vipin recalled, his voice heavy with disbelief. “Looking back, I’m sure Govind had no idea Raj was involved. None of us did.” Raj didn’t just hide his involvement — he inserted himself into the family’s pain.He attended Raja’s funeral, solemn and quiet. Photographs from the day show him standing beside the family, his arm around Sonam’s father Devi Singh, consoling him as he wept for his son-in-law who was murdered and daughter who was still missing. He was there every step of the way — offering support, arranging things, speaking softly, acting like a pillar of strength.Two days before the police uncovered the truth, Raj even visited Sonam’s family again, speaking to them as if nothing had happened. “He came over and chatted with everyone,” Sonam’s father said on Monday. “We had no idea he might have been with Sonam or involved in this at all.” Raj had allegedly helped hatch the plot with Sonam and sent three of his childhood friends — Akash Rajput, Vishal Chauhan, and Anand Kurmi — to Meghalaya to execute the crime. He stayed back, keeping communication open, giving instructions, and ensuring the illusion of normalcy.Raj’s betrayal runs deep, said family members, for a family who trusted him like their own. A man who once shared meals, and work, all the while allegedly hiding the blood on his hands.