Indore COuple CASE
SHILLONG, June 3: In a grim twist to the sensational Indore couple case, the Meghalaya Police on Tuesday confirmed the recovery of a suspected murder weapon — a machete (locally known as Dao) — alongside the mobile phone of Raja Raghuvanshi, the man whose body was found in the Weisawdong Falls area.
On the sidelines, the couple’s families have demanded a CBI probe into Raja’s death.
Late Raghuvanshi, a tourist from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, was on a visit to Sohra in East Khasi Hills with his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, who remains missing.
“The search has continued in Weisawdong Falls and NDRF is also being involved. The gorge has three layers and the NDRF, SDRF and SOT have gone down to the last layer and recovered the phone of the victim. They have also recovered the weapon which was used. It was a Dao, which was used, has been seized,” said East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police, Vivek Syiem.
When asked about the weapon, Syiem said, “You can even buy it online. What I can say is that it is a new Dao just used for this purpose only. It is not an old Dao which the people used every day for cutting wood.”
Confirming the nature of the case, the SP stated, “It is a case of homicide. The person has been murdered and there is no question about it. We have also registered a case (for murder). There is no doubt it is a murder but we will have to find the motive behind it.”
Asked whether Raja Raghuvanshi was killed before being thrown into the gorge, the SP said, “We cannot say whether he was killed and then thrown. Once we get the post-mortem report, we can ascertain (that) from the kind of injury whether it was fatal before being thrown or whether he was alive when thrown.”
Confirming that the victim’s wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, is still missing, the SP said, “Tomorrow, we will again resume our search in the same area and adjoining areas. The gorge extends to quite a distance and we will be looking in areas which are one or two kilometres from that place. It is in the same alignment with the gorge of Weisawdong. Our priority is to find the female.”
Although the motive remains unclear, Syiem said, “Let the facts come in and yes, weapon was used for murder — whether the motive was for robbery or vendetta or any form of hatred or any other issue… we need to find out that first. Facts will come forth as and when the investigation progresses.”
Cautioning against speculation, he added, “We need to look for more evidence in the place of occurrence and elsewhere also. Then we can come to some conclusion. At this juncture, it is premature to say anything. We need to find more evidence then we can say something concrete or else it will be mere assumption.”
The newlywed couple from Indore went missing on May 23 after they had set out for Sohra area on a two-wheeler they hired in Shillong. The police recovered the body of Raja on Monday afternoon near the Weisawdong Falls at the Riat Arliang parking lot in Umblai, Sohra.
The mysterious case has gripped public attention as specialised rescue and crime teams press ahead in the rugged and remote terrain of East Khasi Hills to uncover the truth behind what is now confirmed as a homicide.
CBI probe
The families of Raja Raghuvanshi and Sonam Raghuvanshi have demanded a CBI probe into the mysterious death of Raja.
Speaking to reporters outside the morgue at NEIGRIHMS on Tuesday, Raja’s brother, Vipin Raghuvanshi, urged Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma to hand the investigation over to the CBI. “It would be the best if a CBI team from Delhi is brought in,” he said.
He wondered how the body of Raja was found 25 km away from where his scooty was parked. He noted that the body was recovered from a deep gorge, which is also fenced, making the theory of suicide highly unlikely.
Raja and Sonam had a love affair and they tied the knot on May 12. They were happy, Vipin said.
He suspected that Raja was kidnapped and murdered. To back this, he said Raja’s personal belongings – two rings, a gold necklace, a bracelet, and his wallet – were missing.
“If it were a case of suicide or accident, these items would not be missing,” he said.
He called for stepped up efforts to trace his sister-in-law. He mentioned that he was told an NDRF team joined the rescue operation.
“We will take Raja’s body back to Indore after post-mortem. We believe the post-mortem report will shed light on what really happened,” he said, flanked by Sonam’s brother.