SHILLONG, June 2: The decomposed body of Raja Raghuvanshi, one of the tourist couple from Madhya Pradesh, who had gone missing since May 23 during their visit to Sohra, also known as Cherrapunjee, a popular tourist destination in Meghalaya, was recovered on Monday morning following eight days of massive search operation.
However, the whereabouts of Raja’s wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi remain unknown.
Search is on to locate Sonam amid ongoing inclement weather and difficult terrain, Vivek Syiem, the district police chief of East Khasi Hills, said.
The missing of Raja and his newly wedded wife Sonam from Indore came to light after their scooter with the keys was found abandoned on May 23 at Sohrarim near Golden Pines Dhaba by villagers.
Ever since, there has been a massive search operation going on in the area to locate them.
Syiem said the body was located by a police drone in a deep gorge below the Weisawdong Parking Lot at Riat Arliang during a coordinated search involving the Police Department, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Special Operations Team (SOT), and the West Jaintia Hills District Adventure Mountaineering Club.
“Since it was a steep incline and inaccessible terrain, the body was taken to the parking lot for magisterial inquest, which was conducted by Adiel R Kyntan, Executive Magistrate, Sohra, this evening,” Syiem said, adding that the inquest was carried out in the presence of independent witnesses from the area.
“The relatives of the deceased identified the body as that of Raja Raghuvanshi through a distinctive tattoo on the deceased’s right hand reading ‘Raja,'” Syiem said.
A lady’s white shirt, a strip of Pentra 40, a part of the LCD screen of a Vivo mobile phone, and a smartwatch from the wrist of the deceased were seized at the spot.
Meanwhile, the body has been sent to NEIGRIHMS, for post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death.
“The police are actively investigating the case, and no possibilities, including foul play, have been ruled out at this stage,” Syiem said,
A case of murder is being registered, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) is being formed to conduct the investigation.
Syiem said the discovery of the body was made possible through the dedicated efforts of the police, who conducted an extensive search operation despite challenging weather conditions over the past few days.
(UNI)
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