Shillong, Jun 3: The family of Raja Raghuvanshi, the Indore man whose highly decomposed body was found in a deep gorge at Weisawdong Falls in Meghalaya on Monday, has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into his death. Raja and his wife had gone missing while on their honeymoon in Sohra, one of Meghalaya’s most popular tourist destinations.
“We strongly demand an investigation by the CBI into the case,” said Vipin, the brother of the late Raja Raghuvanshi, while speaking to the media at NEIGRIHMS.
He questioned the police’s reluctance to treat the case as suspicious. “The local police are not accepting that there was any foul play. But if there wasn’t, then why was a dead body found? Raja’s body was recovered 25 kilometers from where the rented scooty was parked. We strongly suspect they were kidnapped and taken to Weisawdong Falls,” he said while waiting for the postmortem to be completed before transporting the body back to Indore.
Vipin also claimed it was highly unlikely that his brother and sister-in-law committed suicide. “The area where his body was recovered has a proper boundary. It’s not easy to fall accidentally, let alone both of them,” he said.
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He alleged that local police are refusing to consider the family’s suspicion of kidnapping, looting, and murder. “Both were wearing gold. Two rings, a gold chain, bracelet, purse, and mobile phone were missing from Raja’s body. If it was suicide, all these items wouldn’t just disappear,” Vipin asserted.
The family had filed a missing persons report on May 23. According to Vipin, the last contact with the couple was around 1:43 pm on that day, when they were returning from the double-decker living root bridge.
He also appealed to the authorities to intensify efforts to locate Raja’s missing wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi. “We just want Sonam to be brought back alive,” he said, adding that there was no history of enmity or family dispute. “They got married on May 11. They were happy,” he added.
On June 2, East Khasi Hills district police chief Vivek Syiem confirmed that a murder case has been registered, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted.
“The police are actively investigating the case, and no possibilities including foul play have been ruled out at this stage,” Syiem said. He added that Sonam’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Syiem also acknowledged the efforts of the police team that located the body after conducting an extensive search operation under difficult weather conditions over the past several days.
(Newmai News Network)