SHILLONG/INDORE: Indore honeymooner
Raja Raghuvanshi, whose decomposed body was found in a gorge of Weisawdong falls Monday after he disappeared with his wife Sonam on May 23, had been hacked to death with a 'dao' (machete), police said on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the couple's families demanded a CBI probe and for the Army to lead the search for Sonam.
"There is no doubt it was a murder. We have recovered a 'dao'. It was new and used for this very purpose," East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem said, adding a search for the criminals was on. The victim's mobile had also been found.
SP Syiem said the autopsy report was awaited to determine if Raja's death occurred before or after falling into the gorge. "We can't rule out any possibility. Whether the motive was robbery, vendetta or any form of hatred or issue between the accused and the victims, we need to find that out. We need to look for more evidence before coming to a conclusion," the SP added.
He said the probe was being given highest priority. "Tomorrow, we will resume search for the wife in the adjoining area as the gorge extends quite a distance," he added. A woman's white shirt, the broken screen of a mobile and a strip of medicines were found near Raja's body. His smartwatch was still on his wrist, but his wallet, gold chain, rings and the couple's four mobile phones were missing," said the SP.
Raja's brother, Vipin, who has been part of the search operations in Meghalaya, said, "There should be a CBI investigation into the case." He alleged that some 'suspects' were trying to mislead investigators about the crime scene.
Won’t break fast: Sonam told mom-in-law
Raja’s mother shared her last conversation with
Sonam just before the couple went missing. She had called to check in on her as May 23 was Gyaras, a fasting day. She asked the newlywed to eat something as they were hiking, but Sonam refused, saying, “Ghumne ke chakkar main vrat thodi tod dungi (Just because I am vacationing. I won’t break my fast).”
The family shared a recording of this call in which Sonam sounds short of breath, telling her mother-inlaw that they were trekking in the forest to see a waterfall. The call ends abruptly, with Sonam saying she would talk later. That call never came.
Vipin said they had been asking with police to search the very area where the body was found but their pleas went unheeded for several crucial days.
They also allege that some ‘suspects’ are trying to mislead investigators about the actual crime scene.
The family has voiced suspicion on some locals, but the SP said all the locals have been questioned and there is no possibility of their involvement.
“It is true that the couple had a dispute with a female coffee vendor but it is not possible that she or other local vendors planned this murder so meticulously,” Syiem told TOI on Tuesday.
The family, however, argues that it would be nearly impossible for someone unfamiliar with the area to reach the location where Raja’s body was found.
The body was spotted by a drone in a deep gorge below Wei Sawdong falls at Riat Arliang parking lot.
“This area has been closed for two years and there is a boundary wall around the parking lot. It seems he was attacked and thrown,” said Vipin. He told TOI that they were making arrangements to bring the body back to Indore. The family has refused to cremate him in Shillong, so that his parents can get a last look at him.