The search operation to trace an Indore woman who went missing in Meghalaya last month continued on Saturday with the state government deploying drones, reports said.
Sonam Raghuvanshi (25) and her husband Raja Raghuvanshi (29) were on a honeymoon trip when they disappeared on May 23, hours after they checked out of a homestay at Nongriat village in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district.
Raja’s body was found in a deep gorge near a waterfall in the Sohra area—some 20 kilometres away from the homestay— on June 2.
The Meghalaya police, which registered a murder case after Raja’s body was found, are yet to get any clue about Sonam’s whereabouts, prompting her relatives to seek a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry.
The Madhya Pradesh government also supported the family’s claim and formally requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah to order a CBI probe into the case.
“Madhya Pradesh stands with the family of Sonam Raghuvanshi in this hour of crisis,” Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on Saturday, adding that he had personally spoken with his Meghalaya counterpart regarding the matter.
“I have requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah to order a CBI inquiry in this case. Every possible effort is being made for the safe return of Sonam Raghuvanshi,” he said.
Sonam’s father Devi Singh Raghuvanshi on Friday alleged that her daughter had been abducted and that the Meghalaya police were not investigating the matter properly.
"I have been seeking deployment of the army from the day they went missing. If it was done in time, they would have been found safely," he told news agency PTI.
Sonam and Raja got married on May 11 and left for Meghalaya on May 20 for their honeymoon. According to reports, the couple arrived at Mawlakhiat village on May 22 on a rented scooter. They parked their scooter and trekked 3,000 steps down the gorge to visit the famous living rootbridges at Nongriat village, where they stayed the night and left the homestay the following morning.
On May 24, their scooter was found abandoned at a cafe along the road from Shillong to Sohra. A woman's white shirt, a strip of medicine, a part of the LCD screen of a mobile phone and a smartwatch were seized at the spot where Raja's body was found, as per Meghalaya police.
The Times of India reported that the search operation was carried out on Friday in inclement weather and challenging terrain, prompting the Meghalaya government to deploy drones.
The search operation is being carried out by the National Disaster Response Force, SDRF, SRT, Fire and Emergency Services, the Special Operations Team, the Special Investigation Team and local volunteers.