Body Of Missing Indore Man Found In Gorge In Meghalaya, Search For Wife Continues
The body of a 30-year-old man from Indore who went missing during his honeymoon in Meghalaya has been found in a deep gorge near a waterfall, nine days after the newlywed couple disappeared without trace. Police have registered a murder case and formed a Special Investigation Team as the search for his wife continues.
Raja Raghuvanshi’s body was discovered on Monday in a deep gorge below the Weisawdong waterfall parking lot in the Sohra area of East Khasi Hills district, while his 27-year-old wife Sonam Raghuvanshi remains missing.
“A police drone spotted the body in a deep gorge below the Weisawdong waterfall parking lot. The body was taken to the parking lot for a magisterial inquest in the evening,” a senior district official told news agency PTI.
The body was identified by relatives who recognized a tattoo on Raja’s right hand that read “Raja.” The identification was conducted during a magisterial inquest carried out in the presence of local witnesses.
At the location, officials also recovered a woman’s white shirt, a strip of medicine, part of a mobile phone screen, and a smartwatch. The body has been sent to the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences for post-mortem examination.
Vivek Syiem, Superintendent of Police for East Khasi Hills district, confirmed that a murder case has been registered and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) is now handling the investigation.
The development marks a significant turn in what was initially treated as a missing persons case, suggesting foul play may have been involved in the couple’s disappearance.
The couple, comprising Raja, a transport businessman, and Sonam, had traveled to Sohra (Cherrapunji) for their honeymoon. They arrived at Mawlakhiat village on May 22 on a rented scooter.
After parking their vehicle, they undertook the challenging trek down 3,000 steps to visit the famous living root bridges in Nongriat village, where they stayed overnight at a homestay.
The couple checked out of their accommodation on the morning of May 23 but failed to maintain contact afterward. Their abandoned scooter was discovered on May 24 at a café on the road between Shillong and Sohra, prompting family members to alert police.
The search operation, conducted with assistance from local villagers, faced significant challenges due to extreme weather conditions. Heavy rainfall and low visibility severely hampered rescue efforts across the region.
Sohra recorded the highest rainfall in the state on May 29, 30, and 31, with nearly 500 millimeters falling over three days. According to meteorological officials, this amount equals the annual rainfall of Mysuru in Karnataka.
The adverse weather conditions also triggered landslides and flash floods in parts of the eastern Khasi and Jaintia Hills, disrupting traffic and resulting in six deaths and over 10 injuries across the region.
