Raja Raghuvanshi, a 29-year-old Indore native who was found dead in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district, was murdered, police told reporters. The whereabouts of his wife Sonam remain unknown, even as reports confirmed that the Meghalaya Police have discovered the weapon used to kill Raghuvanshi.
Raja Raghuvanshi and Sonam were reported missing on May 23, Friday, not long after they checked out from a homestay in Nongriat village, where they were honeymooning. The decomposed body of the man was recovered on Monday from a gorge near the Weisawdong Falls, almost 20 km away from the hospitality facility.
During the course of the investigation, police discovered that Raja Raghuvanshi did not die from a fall but was hacked to death with a machete. However, it can only be confirmed whether he died before or after the fall once the autopsy report is received, police told The Times of India (TOI).
#WATCH | Shillong: On the incident of the missing Indore couple in Meghalaya, Vivek Syiem, SP of East Khasi hills, says, "The postmortem of the body of Raja Raghuvanshi was done today. The case has been registered, and a special investigation team has been formed, headed by the… pic.twitter.com/XlcJIYpG7x
— ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2025
According to officials, there is reason to believe that the recovered weapon was brand new and likely brought to the scene specifically to commit the crime. Raja Raghuvanshi's mobile phone was also recovered during the investigation.
Raja’s body was identified by his brother, who recognized a tattoo on his right hand. The postmortem will be carried out at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to probe the case. Drones and mountaineering experts have been summoned to assist police efforts in locating Sonam. A team of 17 rescuers from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is also involved in the search, according to reports.
The couple arrived at Mawlakhiat village on May 22 on a rented scooter. On May 24, their scooter was found abandoned at a cafe along the road from Shillong to Sohra following which the probe began.
