Husband Found Murdered, Wife Still Missing: Indore Couple's Dire Honeymoon To Meghalaya (Photo on X@satyaagrahindia)
Nongriat, Meghalaya: A search operation is underway in Meghalaya’s challenging terrain as authorities are working to trace the missing wife of Raja Raghuvanshi, a tourist from Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, whose body was found near Wei Sawdong Falls on Monday, June 2. Police have confirmed that the newly-wedded man was murdered, and the investigation is ongoing.
Raja’s wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, has been missing, and an aerial search is underway to trace her. Police had spotted her husband’s body with the help of a drone. On May 20, Raja, a transport business executive, and his wife travelled to Meghalaya for a honeymoon after their marriage on May 11, taking an unfortunate turn in the newly married couple’s life.
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How Things Unfolded
After reaching Meghalaya for their honeymoon, on May 20, the couple spent the initial days roaming around several places, including in Shillong’s Sohrarim area. According to the police, the couple reached Mawlakhiyat village on a rented scooter on May 22, and visited the famous ‘living roots’ bridges in Nongriat village in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district, spending the night at a homestay. After they checked out of their homestay on May 23, the duo went missing.
The scooter on which the couple went out was spotted abandoned a day later near a popular tourist hub in Sohrarim. Police launched a search operation for the couple, and on June 2 found Raja’s body in a deep gorge near a waterfall in Sohra area (also known as Cherrapunji) in the hilly district. Nongriat village is 20 km from the place where Raja’s body was found. Meghalaya police later confirmed that Raja was murdered, adding that it is probing the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident.
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The family of Raja has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, threatening to launch a protest if their demand was not met. Meghalaya police have registered a murder case and formed a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate the case.
Indore MP Shankar Lalwani went to Shillong and urged the authorities in Meghalaya to bring the perpetrators to justice, pointing out that all the evidences suggested the incident to be a murder.
“It is certain this is murder. The police have said that. This is a tourist spot. The government has to think about the safety of tourists. The wife has not been found yet. They should hasten the search operation,” India Today quoted Lalwani.
However, the police have intensified the search for Raja’s missing wife, Sonam, and have engaged with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to trace the woman, as the efforts are being hampered by an incessant downpour.
Making the case more puzzling, Raja’s mother reportedly received a voice message from Sonam, the same day that the couple went missing. Sonam can be heard short of breath in the recording, telling her mother-in-law that she was trekking to a waterfall and refusing to break her religious fast. The call ended suddenly and was the last time anyone heard from the missing wife, reports Times of India.
The police on Thursday, June 5 said they have recovered a black raincoat near a viewpoint, and are checking if it belongs to Sonam. “We have recovered a black field coat that appears to have certain stains, but we cannot confirm if they are bloodstains. Only forensic analysis can determine that. We are comparing the recovered items with available footage to verify if the coat belongs to the missing woman,” news agency ANI quoted SP Vivek Syiem.
Notably, such incidents are not new in the district. In April this year, a foreign tourist went missing and was later found dead near Ramdait village.
