A leisure trip to Meghalaya has ended in horror for an Indore couple, after the husband was found murdered in a gorge and his wife remains missing. Authorities have confirmed the recovery of a machete, believed to be the murder weapon, from the forested depths near Weisawdong Falls, a remote area in the state’s East Khasi Hills district.
Raja Raghuvanshi, 29, had travelled with his wife Sonam to Meghalaya for their honeymoon. The two were last seen on May 23 after checking out from a homestay in Nongriat village, known for its iconic living root bridges. A day later, their rented scooter was located abandoned in Sohrarim, raising suspicions.
Eleven days after their disappearance, Raja’s decomposed body was discovered with the help of drones inside a steep gorge near the Weisawdong Falls parking zone. Identification was confirmed through a tattoo on his arm reading “Raja.” His smartwatch was still strapped on when his remains were recovered.
How was the Murder Weapon Discovered?
Search teams comprising the NDRF, SDRF, and Special Operations Team descended into the multi-layered gorge, eventually retrieving Raja’s mobile phone and a dao a traditional machete thought to be recently purchased and used in the killing. Items recovered near the body also included a white woman’s shirt, a strip of acidity medication (Pentra 40), and fragments of a broken mobile screen.
Investigators suspect robbery may be one of the motives. The victim’s phone, wallet, and jewellery were all missing. Police, however, say they are exploring every angle, including the possibility of personal enmity or planned homicide. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been assigned to the case under top police officials, treating the matter as one of “highest priority.”
Meanwhile, Sonam Raghuvanshi, 27, is still untraceable. Search efforts have been hindered by the difficult terrain and heavy rainfall, with Cherrapunji (Sohra) recording nearly 500mm of rain in just three days. Police say the gorge stretches for nearly two kilometres, complicating search efforts.
Family of the Victim Raises Serious Concern
The family of the deceased has raised serious concerns over the handling of the case. Vipin Raghuvanshi, Raja’s brother, has demanded a CBI probe, alleging that local police are not listening to their suspicions of kidnapping, looting, and murder. “Their vehicle was found far from the crime site. There’s no way this was a suicide or accident,” he said. The family has offered a Rs 5 lakh reward for any information leading to Sonam.
The incident has raised safety concerns among tourists, especially after another foreign traveller, a Hungarian man, died earlier this year under mysterious circumstances in the same region. Meghalaya’s Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh described the case as unprecedented but urged calm, stating, “We must allow the investigation to conclude. One incident cannot define the safety of an entire region.”
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma is reportedly monitoring the case closely and remains in touch with police and rescue authorities. The deceased’s body has been sent for post-mortem at NEIGRIHMS Hospital in Shillong, which will help determine if Raja was killed before being thrown into the gorge.
The police remain tight-lipped about possible suspects, but forensic examination of the dao and Raja’s phone may offer fresh leads. “This is clearly a homicide,” East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem confirmed. “Our immediate goal now is to find Sonam.”
