The death of an Indore couple that went missing in Meghalaya is mired in controversy, as police continue their search for the woman and investigate the circumstances surrounding their death.
Transport businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, 29, and his wife Sonam went missing on May 23 at Sohra (also known as Cherrapunji) in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district after going there for their honeymoon. They were last seen when they left their guesthouse in Nongriat village, say officials in Meghalaya.
While Raja’s body was found in the north-eastern state 11 days after going missing, his wife has not yet been found.
Raja’s family says it suspects foul play and alleges murder of their son, whose body was discovered from a deep gorge near a waterfall in Sohra, almost 20 km away from Nongriat. They have also demanded a CBI probe into the matter.
The Meghalaya police have registered an FIR on charges of murder and formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the case.
Raja’s elder brother, Sachin Raghuvanshi, told reporters in Indore, “This is a case of murder of my brother. I have only one demand from the government that the mystery should be unraveled by getting it investigated by the CBI.
I have lost my brother, but I do not want to lose my sister-in-law, Sonam. The government should find my sister-in-law at any cost. I have been demanding from the beginning that the army’s help should be taken in the search operation,” he said.
Sachin said his brother’s body had decomposed so much that it was difficult to identify it from the face.
“My brother had his name Raja tattooed on his hand. Since it rains a lot in Meghalaya, he went there wearing my waterproof smartwatch. When he was found dead, the watch was on his wrist. This also helped in identifying him,” he said.
Sachin said he has suspicious of the local hotel-restaurant staff, guides and people who rent two-wheelers in Meghalaya in connection with the alleged murder of his brother and the disappearance of the latter’s wife.
Raja’s family is into transport business in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore. He got married to Sonam on May 11 here, and the two left for their honeymoon on May 20.
According to officials, the newlyweds reached Mawlakhiyat village on a rented scooter on May 22. They parked their scooter and went to see the famous ‘Living Root Bridge’ in Nongriat village, where they stayed overnight and left the next morning.
The couple’s scooter was found abandoned at a cafe on the road from Shillong to Sohra on May 24, following which police were informed and an initial search operation was planned with the help of local villagers, as per the Meghalaya police.
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