For a few days, Meghalaya, known for its clouds and picturesque beauty, became a place of safety concerns. This was when a newlywed couple came for their honeymoon, and both of them went missing in the Sohra district. Sohra is where Cherrapunji is, which was earlier marketed as “India ka sabse jyada barish.”
In those friendly yet harsh rains, hundreds of workers from the state police, NDRF, SDRF, and local villagers came together, not for a cultural festival but to search for the missing couple.
What translated after the incident
On May 23, the newlywed couple, Sonam and Raja Raghuvanshi, departed around 10 AM for a trek and disappeared. Their scooter was found abandoned the next day on the Shillong–Sohra road.
On May 24, the scooter was discovered, and police found their rented scooter parked, fueling a missing persons enquiry.
What followed were conspiracy theories about how the couple were murdered by locals. The family of Sonam, from Madhya Pradesh, even reportedly wrote to the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, potentially including a request for a CBI investigation.
The next was social media trolling, where harsh words were written about the state of Meghalaya, with some even comparing them to murder done by “NE tribals”.
The onslaught against Meghalaya continued, and the prestige of the Meghalaya police and the locals was at stake.
The majority of them earn their living through tourism businesses, starting from small cafes and shops to homestays, where they welcome guests from across the world.
The Search Operation amid the pressure
As pressure mounted against the people of Meghalaya, with many blaming them for the murder, the authorities took matters into their own hands, and it all started with first locating the couple.
On June 2, Raja’s decomposed body was found beneath Wei Sawdong Falls, a three-tiered waterfall located in Cherrapunji, where the couple had gone in total isolation.
Even after the recovery of the dead body, the anger and suspicion against the locals remained until June 9. This was the day when Sonam surrendered in Ghazipur, UP, claiming kidnapping.
The police also arrested Raj Kushwaha and three other accused in the case. June 9 changed the entire dynamic of the matter and saved Meghalaya from the blame of a crime it never facilitated.
The investigation has continued ever since, with police establishing crucial links connecting the dots of the alleged murder.
The spirit of Meghalaya
NewsX spoke to Vivek Syiem, Superintendent of Police (SP) of East Khasi Hills District, who has spearheaded the investigation process and shared an interesting aspect of the investigation.
He stated that the role of the locals cannot be discounted in the investigation, as they helped the state police, along with all agencies, in the search operations.
Some of them even offered food to the officials who had to work in the difficult jungle terrain near the Wei Sawdong Falls (the crime spot).
Upon visiting Sohra, NewsX spoke to locals of the area, who claimed that it was important to save Sohra from the bad name of the murder, and they tried their best to help the authorities.
Further, a tourist guide – possibly the last person to see Raja Raghuvanshi alive – alerted police to the possibility that three other men were involved in a grisly murder.
They were seen by Albert Pde, a local who had helped guide them a day earlier through a three-hour trek to Nongriat to visit the ‘living roots’ bridge.
He told local police he saw Raja and Sonam with three other men, none of whom were locals, he believed, because all three conversed in Hindi. Sources revealed this helped the cops expand search parameters.
The tourists are back
The team of NewsX visited both the sites, Nongriat-Living Roots Bridge and Wei Sawdong Falls and interacted with the tourists. The visitors were more than excited to travel to Meghalaya.
“The incident is a personal issue, and we shouldn’t blame it on the locals, and why should they be liable for that?” said Apurva from West Bengal.
Another family of four came from Bihar at the exact spot where Raja and Sonam were last seen and they painted a different picture of hospitality.
“I found the people very cooperative. My wife left her purse here, and the locals came and returned the purse.
The murder mystery is already out, and I would give this place a 10 on 10,” said Dr Dilip.
As the murder saga continued, many theories have come up with some even linking to Black Magic.
But, two things have been constant in the entire timeline, the clouds of Meghalaya and the locals’ ability to say “Khublei”, a common greeting and expression of gratitude within the Khasi community.
ALSO READ: Air India Cancels AI2491 Flight: ‘Replacement Crew Could Not Be Arranged,’ Airline Issues Statement
