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

The body of the man, Raja Raghuvanshi, who had gone to Meghalaya on honeymoon and had been missing along with his wife Sonam since May 23 from Sohra in the East Khasi Hills district, was found in a 100-ft gorge. His wife is yet to be traced.

Family demands CBI probe

Raja’s elder brother Sachin Raghuvanshi has alleged that his brother was murdered and that the government must find Sonam at any cost.

"This is a case of murder of my brother. I have only one demand from the government that the mystery should be unravelled by getting it investigated by the CBI," he told reporters in Indore.

"I have lost my brother, but I do not want to lose my sister-in-law Sonam. The government should find my sister-in-law at any cost. I have been demanding from the beginning that the Army's help should be taken in the search operation," he said.

Sachin said his brother's body had decomposed so much that it was difficult to identify it from the face.

"My brother had his name Raja tattooed on his hand. Since it rains a lot in Meghalaya, he went there wearing my waterproof smartwatch. When he was found dead, the watch was on his wrist. This also helped in identifying him," he said.

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Locals suspected

Sachin said he suspects the local hotel-restaurant staff, guides, and people who rent two-wheelers in Meghalaya have a connection to his brother and sister-in-law’s disappearance and Raja’s death, and that the police should strictly question them.

The couple went missing on May 23, just hours after leaving a guest house in Nongriat village, according to Meghalaya officials.

Raja’s body was found on Monday in a deep gorge near a waterfall in Sohra area (Cherrapunji) of East Khasi Hills district, they said.

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FIR lodged

Officials said that the Nongriat village is located 20 km away from the place where the body was found, and the Meghalaya police have registered an FIR on charges of murder and formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the case.

Raja’s family is in the transport business in Madhya Pradesh's Indore. He got married to Sonam on May 11 and they went to Meghalaya for their honeymoon on May 20.

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According to Meghalaya officials, the newlyweds reached Mawlakhiyat village on a rented scooter on May 22. They parked their scooter and went to see the famous 'Living Root Bridge' in Nongriat village, where they stayed overnight and left the next morning.

The couple's scooter was found abandoned at a cafe on the road from Shillong to Sohra on May 24, following which police were informed and an initial search operation was planned with the help of local villagers, as per the Meghalaya police.

(With inputs from agencies)