Shillong: Meghalaya police have recovered a bloodstained machete believed to be the murder weapon in the case of Raja Raghuvanshi, a tourist from Madhya Pradesh whose body was discovered in a remote gorge earlier this week.
He had been honeymooning in the state with his wife, who remains missing.
A raincoat, thought to belong to the couple, was also found in Mawkma village — located between the site where Raja’s decomposed body was found and Sohrarim, where their rented scooter was discovered abandoned.
“We found a relatively unused, bloodstained machete (locally known as a ‘dao’) during a search of the area yesterday. Today, a raincoat suspected to be theirs was recovered from Mawkma,” said Vivek Syiem, Superintendent of Police, East Khasi Hills.
The search for Raja’s wife, Sonam, continues with the help of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
Search teams are utilizing drones, sniffer dogs, and professional mountaineers to navigate the region’s difficult terrain, made more challenging by continuous rain.
The couple had arrived in Mawlakhiat village on May 22 and trekked down over 3,000 steps to Nongriat village, home to the famous living root bridges.
After staying overnight, they left the next morning. On May 24, their scooter was found abandoned near a café on the road from Shillong to Sohra (Cherrapunji).
Raja’s body was identified by a tattoo on his right hand that read “Raja and a lady.” Police also recovered a white shirt, a strip of tablets, a broken smartphone screen, and a smartwatch from the scene.
“We suspect foul play, especially since his gold rings, chain, and wallet are missing,” Raja’s brother, V. Raghuvanshi, said. The family is now calling for a CBI investigation into the incident.
A post-mortem is being conducted at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences in Shillong.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by a senior police officer and assisted by four DSP-rank officers, is handling the case.
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Heavy rainfall in Sohra, which recorded nearly 500 mm between May 29 and 31, has hampered rescue efforts, officials noted.
This incident follows a similar case earlier this year when a Hungarian tourist, Puskas Zsolt, went missing during a solo trek to the same root bridges.
His body was found 12 days later, with reports suggesting he died from a fall.
