New Delhi: The case of the murdered man in Madhya Pradesh whose corpse was found in a deep gorge 11 days after he and his wife went missing during their trip to Meghalaya, has taken a new turn. According to reports, the police officers have said that the man was allegedly murdered with a machete as the crime has shocked the northeastern state.
The Meghalaya Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) is investigating the case and on June 3 said that the machete (dao) that was allegedly used to murder the man was recovered from near the spot where the body was found along with his mobile phone.
The person was ‘definitely’ murdered
East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police (SP) Vivek Syiem said, “We have recovered the victim’s phone and also the weapon that was used to carry out the crime. The weapon was a ‘dao’. It is a clear case of homicide. The person was murdered, there is no doubt about that.”
The man has been identified as Raja Raghuvanshi, and his wife has been identified as Sonam. They went from Indore to Meghalaya for their honeymoon and on May 23, they went missing. They arrived in Nongriat and were last seen exiting the Shipara Homestay. The scooty they rented was found abandoned at Sohrarim a day after they went missing.
Raja’s body was found on June 2 with a drone inside a deep gorge below the Weisawdong Parking Lot at Riat Arliang. So far, Sonam has not been found. Syiem said, “Sonam Raghuvanshi is yet to be found. Tomorrow, we will resume our search in the same area and in the adjoining areas. The gorge extends quite a distance – nearly one to two kilometers – and it’s aligned with the current site of recovery. Our priority right now is to find Sonam.”
Victim’s family demands CBI probe
Victim’s brother Vipin Raghuvanshi said, “We demand a CBI probe in the case. His (Raja) body was found 25 kilometers away from where the vehicle (a rented scooty) was parked. We suspected that he was kidnapped (and taken to Weisawdong falls). It is not possible for my brother and his wife to die by suicide. The local police are not ready to listen to us when we say it is a case of kidnapping, looting and murder.”
Moreover, the family of the couple had earlier offered a reward of Rs 5 lakh to anyone who can provide information about them. Notably, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and State Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh are monitoring the situation.
