New Delhi: Days after the discovery of the decomposed body of Raja Raghuwanshi, 27-year old Sonam Raghuwanshi, from Indore has been reported missing for over 11 days during her honeymoon in Meghalaya.
“My sister is alive. She has been abducted. I want to request Meghalaya CM to stop looking for a dead body”, claimed Sonam’s brother, Govind.
Her family fears that she has been abducted and possibly trafficked across the border into Bangladesh. Her brother, has been actively searching for her. He has requested the CM of Meghalaya to treat the case as an abduction rather than a murder, according to the report made by The Times of India.
Raja’s decomposed body was discovered in a gorge near Weisadong falls. Initial postmortem reports suggest that Raja was being hacked to death with a machete that was recovered from the scene. Sonam’s whereabouts, however, remain unknown.
The couple had checked out from a hotel in Shillong on May 22 and and were believed to have travelled to Sohra, Cherapunji, leaving their belongings at another hotel before heading towards Maulakaya village. They were not seen again.
The Meghalaya Police along with the National and State Disaster Response Forces have taken special measures using drones and special teams to intensify the search operations. A stained raincoat was found near Mawkma Road in Sohra. The raincoat is currently under forensic analysis. Yet, the authorities have not discovered any trace of Sonam.
The family of the victims have expressed dissatisfaction with the investigation and have requested the Central Bureau of Investigation to take over the case. Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma has assured the families that all efforts are being made to uncover the facts and trace Sonam.
Raja’s brother, Vipin has also pointed out that since Meghalaya borders Bangladesh, there could be a possibility of cross border trafficking.
Sonam’s family has been requesting the authorities for a speedy investigation.
The family remains glued to news channels, watching out for any updates while the search operations are still underway.
