SHILLONG, June 6: Meghalaya police would be sending all material evidence found near the body of Raja Raghuvanshi, a tourist from Madhya Pradesh, to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Hyderabad, for further analysis.
The decomposed body of Raja was found in a deep gorge below the Weisawdong parking lot at Riat Arliang on June 2 after he disappeared with his wife Sonam during a visit to Sohra (Cherrapunjee), the wettest place on earth, in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district.
“The materials collected from the crime scene where the decomposed remains of Raja were being air-dried before these would be sent to the CFSL, Hyderabad, for forensic analysis,” Vivek Syiem, the district police chief of East Khasi Hills, told UNI.
Police suspect that Raja was killed with a machete, which was recovered from the crime scene. The other items recovered at the scene include a woman’s white shirt, a strip of Pentra 40 tablets, part of an LCD screen from a mobile phone, and a smartwatch worn by the deceased.
On June 4, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) found a raincoat during their search and rescue operation to locate Sonam from the AD viewpoint at Mawkma village, about 4-5 km away from where Raja’s body was recovered.
“There are certain stains on the raincoat, but we cannot confirm if it’s blood. Only forensic tests will determine that,” Syiem said.
Meanwhile, the NDRF and SDRF continued their search and rescue operations in the gorge below the Weisawdong falls parking lot at Riat Arliang, where the decomposed body of Raja was found on Monday.
“We searched the whole area and also went upstream…we found nothing and so we would resume their search of the area tomorrow,” NDRF Team Commander Lal Ringson told UNI.
He said the search has been called off due to poor visibility and will resume the search on Saturday.
Meghalaya police have filed a murder case in this regard, and a Special Investigation Team headed by Superintendent of Police (Shillong City) Herbert Pyniaid Kharkongor has been constituted for further probe into the death.
The newlyweds were on a honeymoon to Sohra, the wettest place on earth, and had checked in at Shipara Homestay at Nongriat village- home to the famed living double-decker root bridge on May 22. The next morning, they checked out of their homestay and disappeared.
The missing couple came to light when a two-wheeler, which they had hired, was found abandoned on May 24 at Sohrarim village between Shillong and Sohra road.
(UNI)
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