New CCTV camera footage has surfaced in the puzzling Meghalaya case involving the murder of Indore tourist Raja Raghuvanshi and the unexplained disappearance of his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, adding further intrigue to the mystery.
The grainy visuals, captured by a CCTV camera at the Shillong hotel where the couple stayed, show Raja and his newly married wife Sonam checking in on May 22.
The footage is from a day before the couple disappeared. The family last received a call from Sonam on May 23 when the couple went for a hike. They had rented a scooter, which was later found abandoned at Sohrarim in East Khasi Hills on May 24.
Raja Raghuvanshi’s body was found in a ditch on Monday near the same place where the scooter was found. Police managed to locate the body with the help of a drone. His phone and a machete believed to have been used to kill him have also been found.
"It is a clear case of homicide. The person was murdered, there is no doubt about that," East Khasi Hills superintendent of police (SP) Vivek Syiem said.
{{/usCountry}}"It is a clear case of homicide. The person was murdered, there is no doubt about that," East Khasi Hills superintendent of police (SP) Vivek Syiem said.
{{/usCountry}}Meghalaya Police have registered a murder case, and a Special Investigation Team has been formed.
Sonam Raghuvanshi is still missing, and the search operation to find her is ongoing. Multiple agencies from the state and the Centre, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and a Special Operations Team, have also joined the search. The cops said that they had found a black raincoat with stains that looked like blood. But it hasn't been confirmed yet if it was indeed blood or if the raincoat belonged to the missing woman.
CBI probe demanded in Meghalaya murder case
Raja Raghuvanshi's family, which lives in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, has demanded that the probe regarding the murder of their son and the disappearance of their daughter-in-law be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
"We demand a CBI probe in the case. His body was found 25 km from where the scooter was parked. We suspect he was kidnapped and taken where the body was found," the victim's brother, Vipin, said.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said that justice will be done in the case and added that the investigation was underway. He also assured that no stone will be left unturned to ensure that the perpetrators of the murder are brought to justice.
"Justice will be served in the tragic case of the Indore tourist who was murdered in Sohra, and our rescue operations to locate his wife are ongoing. This incident has come as a shock to us. Something like this has never happened in Meghalaya. While the demand for a CBI probe has been raised, the investigation is currently underway, and the government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice," Sangma said..