After an intensive eight-day search operation, the East Khasi Hills police on Monday confirmed the recovery of the body of Raja Raghuvanshi, one of the two tourists reported missing since May 23. The grim discovery was made by a drone and the body was found in a deep gorge below the Weisawdong Parking Lot at Riat Arliang. The whereabouts of Raja Raghuvanshi's wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, remain unknown. The authorities are continuing the search in the difficult terrain amid inclement weather. The couple were on their honeymoon.
In an official statement, East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said at 11:48 am, a police drone located the body during a coordinated search involving the Police Department, State Disaster Response Force, Special Operations Team, and the West Jaintia Hills District Adventure Mountaineering Club.
Due to the steep and inaccessible terrain, the body was retrieved and brought up to the Weisawdong parking lot.
The man was identified by his relatives through a distinctive tattoo on his right hand bearing the name "Raja."
A magisterial inquest was conducted on-site by Executive Magistrate Adiel R. Kyntan, in presence of independent local witnesses.
Items recovered from the scene include a woman's white shirt, a strip of Pentra 40 medication, a part of an LCD screen from a Vivo mobile phone, and a smartwatch that was on the man's wrist. The body has been sent to NEIGRIHMS, Shillong, for a postmortem examination to determine the exact cause of death.
The police have not ruled out foul play and are treating the case as a suspected murder. A Special Investigation Team is being constituted to lead the probe.
