Shillong: The family of a 29-year-old Indore resident whose body was discovered in Meghalaya 11 days after he and his wife went missing has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, alleging foul play in his death and raising concerns over the ongoing search for his missing wife.
Raja Raghuvanshi, a transport businessman from Indore, and his wife Sonam were reported missing on May 23 during a honeymoon trip to the Sohra (Cherrapunji) region in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district.
The couple had left their guest house in Nongriat village that morning and had not been seen since.
Raghuvanshi’s body was recovered on Monday from a deep gorge near a waterfall in Sohra, approximately 20 km from Nongriat.
The body was reportedly in a decomposed state and difficult to identify visually.
Family members confirmed his identity based on a tattoo of his name on his arm and a waterproof smartwatch that he had borrowed from his elder brother before the trip.
Meghalaya police have registered a murder case and constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the circumstances of his death.
The search for Sonam continues, with authorities yet to establish her whereabouts.
Speaking to the media in Indore, Raja’s brother Sachin Raghuvanshi alleged that the death was not accidental.
“This is clearly a case of murder. I demand a CBI inquiry to uncover the truth. I’ve already lost my brother, but I don’t want to lose my sister-in-law. The government must intensify efforts to find her, and I’ve been urging from day one that the Army be involved in the search operation,” he said.
Sachin also expressed suspicion about individuals connected to the local tourism industry. “I strongly suspect the involvement of hotel staff, local guides, and those renting out scooters. They must be questioned thoroughly,” he added.
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According to Meghalaya police, the couple arrived in Mawlakhiyat village on May 22 on a rented scooter and trekked to Nongriat to visit the famed Living Root Bridge, where they stayed overnight.
They reportedly left the next morning, May 23.
The abandoned scooter was found on May 24 near a café on the Shillong-Sohra road, prompting a police-led search with help from local villagers.
Raja and Sonam were married in Indore on May 11 and had travelled to Meghalaya on May 20 for their honeymoon.
Meanwhile, NDRF personnel on Tuesday joined the search for a missing tourist from Indore a day after her husband’s body was found in a gorge in Sohra area of Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district, police said.
“A team of 17 rescuers from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) joined the search and rescue operations at Sohra today,” district Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem informed.
