SHILLONG, June 11: It did not have an official code but within the tight circle of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), consisting of 20 police officials, it came to be known as ‘Operation Honeymoon’ – a sharp, surgically executed mission that crossed state lines, evaded media glare, and cracked a murder conspiracy rooted far beyond Meghalaya’s misty hills.
The clock had started ticking the moment Raja Raghuvanshi’s body was found near the Weisawdong trail on June 2. The terrain was hostile, the monsoon unkind, and national outrage brewing by the hour.
But amid the noise, SP (City) Herbert Pyniaid Kharkongor and his team made a decision that would define the case – go quiet, go fast and go based only on hard evidence.
The police team spent sleepless nights, but did not stop their investigation amid criticism of the state and its police force.
The first clue was the discovery of the abandoned scooty at Sohrarim which the couple had hired from Shillong. After that, phone calls from the family members who came to Shillong led police to register a case and start the search without wasting time.
The SDPO and the OC of Sohra police station immediately started the search and issued a lookout notice – where they had come from, which route they had taken etc.
The police learnt that they had come from Shillong and went to the Living Root Bridges via Mawlakhiat. The trace began there.
The terrain offered no favours, but the team dug in. With the help of technology, it came to know that the couple went to Weisawdong parking lot.
Faced with treacherous terrain and unforgiving weather, professionals from the SDRF, Fire and Emergency Services were employed. They scouted 151 square kilometres, and narrowed down to Weisawdong area. It was there police made use of specialised agencies like NDRF, local volunteers, and the Tour Guide Association of Meghalaya.
What followed on June 2 marked a turning point. Police found the body of Raja Raghuvanshi and after observing all the formalities, they suspected murder and filed an FIR.
It was on that very day that police started the investigation, realising that it was a serious case.
Investigation also revealed that the three “contract killers” had rented two-wheelers from Shillong to travel to Sohra for execution of the crime.
Around this time, the blame game began with fingers being pointed at Sohra, described as crime-infested, and the demand for a CBI probe sprang up, but the SIT worked relentlessly.
Analysis of the available data helped the SIT join the dots and realise that this was the handwork of someone from outside the state.
The implications were clear: they would have to go beyond Meghalaya but they would do so quietly.
The SIT planned how to go about it and quietly left the state to execute Operation Honeymoon.
There were no headlines and no leaks. Just planning and execution.
With support from the Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh police, the SIT managed to nab all the four accused — Raj Kushwaha, Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan and Anand Kurmi — within ten hours on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, signifying the precision of the operation.
The SIT anticipated key leads before entering the public domain.
It examined the account of the tourist guide, Albert Pde, who spoke about seeing three Hindi-speaking tourists with the couple.
Preliminary investigation convinced the SIT that those three were present at the murder spot.
One of the questions under scrutiny is a phone call Sonam made to her mother-in-law. It is uncertain if Sonam made the call before or after the murder was committed.
While the nature of Sonam and Raj’s relationship is still under wraps, the SIT believes it has substantial evidence that points towards them being in close connection, although the police team admits that further interrogation is needed.
The timeline of the conspiracy – whether it was hatched before or after Sonam’s marriage remains under investigation.
The SIT is convinced that the murder was pre-planned as is evident from the purchase of the machete (murder weapon) from Guwahati.
However, for the SIT, the arrests do not point to a closure, it is just the halfway point.
The arrests of all the accused has helped restore public’s faith. Investigation, interrogation and reconstruction of the crime have to be done before police file the charge sheet.
Booked under sections for murder and destruction of evidence, the accused could face additional charges as the investigation deepens.
Operation Honeymoon has shown that Meghalaya Police did not buckle under pressure. They worked hard and they delivered.
