The honeymoon couple from Indore, Madhya Pradesh — Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife Sonam — was reportedly accompanied by three men on the day they went missing from Meghalaya's Sohra area. An official told news agency PTI that a tourist guide had provided this information to police.

Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife Sonam went missing on May 23, just hours after they checked out of a homestay at Nongriat village in Sohra area in Shillong. Raja's body was found in a gorge on June 2, while a search for his wife is underway.

Details from the Tourist Guide

Albert Pde, a guide at Mawlakhiat, told PTI that he had seen the couple accompanied by three male tourists as they climbed over 3,000 steps from Nongriat to Mawlakhiat around 10 AM on May 23.

He said he recognised the couple as he had offered his services to them on the previous day to climb down to Nongriat but they had politely refused and hired another guide.

"The four men were walking ahead while the woman was behind. The four men were conversing in Hindi, but I could not understand what they were speaking as I know only Khasi and English," Pde was quoted as saying.

He said that he had offered his services to take them to Nongriat on May 22 but they had hired another guide, named Bha Wansai, and spent the night at Shipara homestay and returned the next day without a guide.

"By the time I reached Mawlakhiat, their scooter was not there," the guide claimed. The guide also gave his statement to police.

Family Concerns

The newlywed's rented scooter was found at Sohrarim, several kilometres from the parking lot at Mawlakhiat with the keys latched to it.

Meanwhile, even as Sonam is yet to be traced, his brother Govind, who is camping in Shillong, accused the state government of not doing enough and searching for her "like she is dead".

"We strongly believe Sonam is alive. They are searching for her like she is dead," Govind said, urging authorities to take help from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or any other agencies.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma assured that the government was leaving "no stone unturned" to find the missing woman.

Challenges in the Search Operation

However, the terrain, extremely heavy rainfall and foggy weather conditions that reduce visibility to only a few feet were affecting the search operation.

"We are trying our best... our boys are doing what they can without rest using gadgets and trained dogs. The search will continue," East Khasi Hills district Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said.

Suspicion of Foul Play

Raja's decomposed body was found in a gorge near Weisawdong falls on June 2. A gold ring and a neck chain were found missing from his body, further leading to suspicion that he was murdered. A day later, a bloodstained machete was discovered nearby and two days later, a raincoat that was similar to the one used by the couple was found in Mawkma village, half-way between Sohrarim and the gorge where Raja's body was found.

Another CCTV footage from one of the homestays showed that Sonam was wearing a similar raincoat. At the Mawlakhiat parking lot, there are no CCTVs and no registers to record the vehicles being parked.

"The village itself has very poor infrastructure and inconsistent power supply," an elder at the village said. Asked if the couple and the three other men left Mawlakhiat together, he said he could not remember any specific individual since there are many visitors in a day.

Locals have decided to start recording the vehicle numbers and visitors’ phone numbers. A special investigation team headed by an SP and assisted by four DSPs is probing the matter.

Source: Mint.