GUWAHATI: After eight days of intensive efforts, Meghalaya Police on Monday recovered the body of Raja Raghuvanshi, a tourist from Indore from a deep gorge below the Weisawdong parking lot at Riat Arliang in Sohra area of Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills. However, his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, continues to remain missing.
According to the police, the newlywed couple had hired a scooty from Shillong and set out for Sohra (Cherrapunjee) in East Khasi Hills district on May 23. There was no trace of them ever since then. Their phones were also switched off.
The body was identified by relatives through a distinctive tattoo on the deceased’s right hand that read “Raja.” Items recovered from the spot included a woman’s white shirt, a strip of Pentra 40, a piece of an LCD screen of a mobile phone, and a smartwatch found on the deceased’s wrist.
“Due to the steep and inaccessible terrain, the body was brought to the parking lot for a magisterial inquest. Following the inquest, the body was sent to the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences, Shillong, for autopsy. The police are actively investigating the case, and no possibilities, including foul play, have been ruled out at this stage,” the Meghalaya government said in a statement.
A murder case was registered and a special investigation team formed to conduct the investigation.
Multiple agencies, including police, State Disaster Response Force, a mountaineering club and locals were engaged in the search operation.