Meghalaya police suspect Indore tourist was killed with machete

Meghalaya Police have recovered a bloodstained machete from near the body of Indore tourist Raja Raghuvanshi, which was found in a gorge in the state, days after he went missing along with his wife Sonam during their honeymoon.

Police suspect that the weapon was used to murder Raja.

Raincoat recovered

According to the police, a raincoat, which investigators believe also belonged to the newly-married couple, was recovered from Mawkma village, a few kilometres away from the gorge where Raja's body was found on Monday (June 2). The village is located between the spot where Raja's decomposed body was found and Sohrarim, where the scooter used by the couple was found abandoned.

"We have recovered a bloodstained weapon, a relatively unused machete (dao), during the search of the area yesterday. The search and rescue teams have also recovered a raincoat from Mawkma today," Superintendent of Police (SP) of East Khasi Hills Vivek Syiem told PTI.

Search on for Raja’s wife

Police said that the raincoat recovered by them could provide more clues in the investigation. As for Raja’s wife, Sonam, police said that they were still looking for her, with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) leading the efforts. Drones, sniffer dogs, and mountaineers have been pressed into service by the rescue teams.

Police said that Raja and Sonam arrived at Mawlakhiat village on May 22 on a rented scooter and trekked over 3,000 steps down the gorge to visit the famous living root bridges in Nongriat village, where they stayed for the night.

The following morning, the couple left the homestay. Their rented scooter was found abandoned outside a cafe along the road from Shillong to Sohra.

Also Read: Family of Indore man found dead in Meghalaya suspects murder, demands CBI probe

Rains play spoilsport

The SP said that Raja’s family members have identified the body after they spotted a distinctive tattoo on his right hand, reading 'Raja and a lady’. “A white shirt, a strip of tablets, part of a smartphone's screen, and a smartwatch were seized at the spot," he added.

Sohra, also known as Cherrapunji, has been receiving heavy rain, which affected the search and rescue operations, he said.

The area recorded 500 mm of rain between May 29 and 31, which is equivalent to Mysore's annual rainfall, a weather department official said.

Also Read: Indore couple missing case: Husband's body recovered from gorge

Family demands CBI probe

Earlier, Raja’s brother, V Raguvanshi, said that he suspects that it was a murder as the gold chain and the wallet of the deceased were missing. He also demanded a CBI probe into the case.

The case is being probed by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by an SP-level officer and assisted by four DSP rank officers.

Also Read: Decomposed body of missing Hungarian tourist found in Meghalaya

Unprecedented incident: Tourism minister

Meanwhile, Meghalaya Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh has said that those found guilty in the case would not be spared. Expressing shock over the incident, the minister described it as “unprecedented,” and added that no further details could be shared at this juncture as the case was still being investigated.

As for the safety of tourists in the state, the minister asked if a man went missing in Thailand, would it mean that Thailand was unsafe for tourists?

Earlier, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said that he was personally monitoring the search and rescue operation.

(With inputs from agencies)