HT Digital
SHILLONG, JUNE 4: In a breakthrough, the Meghalaya police have recovered what is suspected to be the weapon used in the murder of 29-year-old Raja Raghuvanshi from Indore, who had disappeared along with his wife on their honeymoon trip to Sohra, East Khasi Hills district.
The weapon—a newly bought dao, a local knife—was recovered while investigating the death of Raghuvanshi. District Police Chief Vivek Syiem confirmed that the killer weapon had been seemingly purchased with the intent of committing the murder. Raja’s body was found in a remote gorge close to Weisawdong Falls, eight days since the couple went missing. The body was retrieved thanks to drone operations while searching for the body because the terrain was rugged.
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A Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by SP Herbert Kharkongor and consisting of six officers, four Deputy Superintendents and two Sub-Inspectors, has been entrusted with the task of probing the case. The motive for the murder is still unclear, and police are following all lines of inquiry ranging from robbery to personal grudge.
Raja and his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi had checked out of their homestay in the Nongriat village on May 23, after seeing the region’s renowned living root bridges. They were reported missing the next day when their scooter was discovered abandoned close to a roadside café. Raja’s body was later discovered by recognizing a unique tattoo of his name.
Police found at the scene fragments of a smartphone, a smartwatch, a white blouse of a woman, and strips of medicines—implying that the couple was together when this incident took place. Yet, Raja’s gold ornament, wallet, and phone were not found, and the family suspects robbery as the motive. His brother has also demanded an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), pointing to the stolen valuables and absence of CCTV cameras in the vicinity.
The rescue search continues for Sonam Raghuvanshi. Seventeen personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed along with local teams to carry out search operations using drones and sophisticated rescue gear. The search efforts have been hindered by harsh weather conditions, Sohra receiving more than 500mm of rain in three days’ time—double Mysore’s annual rain.
Authorities are waiting for post-mortem reports to figure out if Raja was killed first or murdered after he was thrown into the gorge. The incident has raised serious questions regarding tourist safety in Meghalaya, particularly in view of an earlier incident this year when Hungarian trekker Puskas Zsolt was discovered dead 12 days after he disappeared while trekking in the same area.
