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Time of India
20 hours ago
- Time of India
Indore tourist's body located using drone after 8-day search; wife still missing
SHILLONG: After an eight-day search, police on Monday recovered the body of Raja Raghuvanshi, a tourist from Indore who had gone missing since May 23 in Meghalaya's Sohra (Cherrapunjee) area. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The East Khasi Hills district police located the body using drone surveillance in a deep gorge below the Weisawdong Parking Lot at Riat Arliang. Mark A Challam, additional deputy commissioner (ADC) of Sohra civil sub-division, in a statement said a police drone spotted the body as part of a joint search operation involving the police department, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), special operations team, and the West Jaintia Hills District Adventure Mountaineering Club. Police teams retrieved the body and transported it to Weisawdong Parking Lot, where a magisterial inquest was conducted by executive magistrate Adiel R Kyntan. ADC: Case of murder registered Relatives identified Raghuvanshi through a distinctive tattoo on his right hand bearing the name 'Raja', the ADC said. Recovered from the scene were a woman's white shirt, a strip of Pentra 40 medication, a damaged LCD screen from a mobile phone, and a smartwatch on the deceased's wrist. Authorities sent the body to the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences in Shillong for a post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death. Police said all possibilities, including foul play, remain open. "The discovery was made possible through the relentless efforts of police teams, who conducted extensive searches despite difficult weather conditions," said ADC said, adding that a case of murder is now being registered, and a SIT will probe the incident. Meanwhile, search operations continue for Raja's wife, Sonam Raghuvansh, amid harsh weather and treacherous terrain.
NDTV
a day ago
- NDTV
Drone Finds Body of Missing Tourist in Meghalaya, Police Suspect Murder
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. After an eight-day search, police recovered the body of Raja Raghuvanshi, missing since May 23, in a gorge near Riat Arliang. His wife, Sonam, remains missing. Authorities are investigating potential foul play, treating the case as suspected murder. Guwahati: 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.
New Indian Express
a day ago
- New Indian Express
Indore couple missing in Meghalaya: Man's body found in gorge, wife still untraced
GUWAHATI: After eight days of intensive efforts, Meghalaya Police on Monday recovered the body of Raja Raghuvanshi, a tourist from Indore from a deep gorge below the Weisawdong parking lot at Riat Arliang in Sohra area of Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills. However, his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, continues to remain missing. According to the police, the newlywed couple had hired a scooty from Shillong and set out for Sohra (Cherrapunjee) in East Khasi Hills district on May 23. There was no trace of them ever since then. Their phones were also switched off. The body was identified by relatives through a distinctive tattoo on the deceased's right hand that read 'Raja.' Items recovered from the spot included a woman's white shirt, a strip of Pentra 40, a piece of an LCD screen of a mobile phone, and a smartwatch found on the deceased's wrist. 'Due to the steep and inaccessible terrain, the body was brought to the parking lot for a magisterial inquest. Following the inquest, the body was sent to the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences, Shillong, for autopsy. The police are actively investigating the case, and no possibilities, including foul play, have been ruled out at this stage,' the Meghalaya government said in a statement. A murder case was registered and a special investigation team formed to conduct the investigation. Multiple agencies, including police, State Disaster Response Force, a mountaineering club and locals were engaged in the search operation.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
Indore tourist's body found in Meghalaya gorge; search for wife continues
Shillong: After eight days of intensive efforts under trying conditions, the body of Raja Raghuvanshi — one of the two missing tourists from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, was recovered on Monday from a deep gorge below the Wei Sawdong Falls parking lot at Riat Arliang, Sohra, in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district. It is located about 50 km from the state capital Shillong. The breakthrough came at 11:48 am when a drone operated by the Meghalaya Police spotted the body in the gorge. Owing to the extremely steep and treacherous terrain, the body was retrieved with great difficulty by a joint team comprising the Meghalaya Police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Special Operations Team (SOT), and the West Jaiñtia Hills District Adventure Mountaineering Club. The search operations had faced considerable setbacks over the past week due to incessant rainfall and strong winds in the region, which not only reduced visibility but also increased the risk for rescue personnel operating in the difficult terrain. After the recovery, the body was brought up to the Wei Sawdong parking lot. A magisterial inquest was conducted at the site by Executive Magistrate Adiel R. Kynta between 3.30 pm and 4 pm, in the presence of independent witnesses from the locality. The deceased was positively identified by relatives based on a distinct tattoo on his right hand bearing the name 'Raja'. Investigators seized several items from the recovery site, including a woman's white shirt, a strip of Pentra 40 (medication), part of an LCD screen from what is believed to be a Vivo smartphone, and a smartwatch that remained strapped to Raja's wrist. The body has since been transported to NEIGRIHMS, Shillong, for a post-mortem examination to determine the precise cause of death. East Khasi Hills superintendent of police, Vivek Syiem, confirmed that a case of murder is being registered. 'Given the circumstances and recovery of evidence at the scene, we are treating this as a case of suspected homicide. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) is being constituted to lead a thorough investigation,' he said. The whereabouts of Raja's wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, remain unknown as of Monday evening. The couple, who got married recently, had come to Meghalaya for a holiday when they went missing on May 23. Their rented scooter was found abandoned near Golden Pines Dhaba in Sohrarim. The case received widespread public and political attention, with growing pressure on the Meghalaya government to resolve the matter urgently. Chief minister Conrad K. Sangma has been personally monitoring developments and remains in close coordination with Madhya Pradesh chief minister Dr. Mohan Yadav. A delegation from Indore, including MP Shankar Lalwani and Rajya Sabha MP Sumer Singh Solanki, visited Meghalaya last week to follow up on the investigation and convey the concerns of the victims' family. Multiple teams have been deployed on the ground, and search efforts for Sonam continue unabated. Authorities have reiterated their commitment to leaving no stone unturned and urged members of the public to come forward with any information that could assist the investigation.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Climate
- New Indian Express
1,300 families take shelter as floods swamp Tripura; waterlogging paralyses Agartala, IMD warns of more rain
AGARTALA: Around 1,300 families have taken shelter in government-run relief camps across West Tripura district following incessant rainfall over the past two days that has triggered severe flooding in several parts of the region. "Incessant rainfall over the past two days has led to severe flooding across various parts of West Tripura district. As a result, nearly 1,300 families have been shifted to government shelter homes for safety. The state government is closely monitoring the flood-affected areas," Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said in a Facebook post on Sunday. The Chief Minister added that the district administration has deployed teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), civil volunteers, and other agencies to assist in rescue and relief operations. "Several localities in Agartala have also experienced heavy waterlogging, prompting authorities to activate water pumps to drain out the accumulated water. Officials are urging residents in flood-hit areas to follow government advisories and relocate to designated safe zones," the CM said.
