Meghalaya 'honeymoon horror': NDRF continues desperate search for Sonam Raghuvanshi

National Disaster Response Force teams are pressing ahead with intensified search operations on Friday as the hunt for missing tourist Sonam Raghuvanshi enters its third week, with mounting evidence suggesting her husband's murder may be linked to a local dispute that turned deadly.

 

A specialised NDRF team joined the multi-agency operation earlier this week in the Sohra area of East Khasi Hills district, working alongside State Disaster Response Force personnel, Special Operations Teams, and Meghalaya Police in increasingly challenging conditions.

 

The search has taken on urgent desperation since Monday's grim discovery of Raja Raghuvanshi's body in a gorge, 20 kilometres from Nongriat village where the couple had stayed overnight on May 22. The 29-year-old's body bore evidence of foul play, with police recovering a bloodstained weapon and personal belongings scattered at the scene.

 

"NDRF will expedite the search even as rescuers are already using drones, mountaineers and special police forces," confirmed East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem, acknowledging the multi-agency coordination now required for the complex rescue mission.

 

Weather conditions have emerged as the operation's biggest adversary. Torrential rainfall on Thursday brought search efforts to a complete halt, with visibility dropping to dangerous levels across the Sohra region. The area recorded nearly 500mm of rainfall over three days, equivalent to Mysore's annual precipitation, triggering landslides and flash floods that have claimed six lives and injured over ten people across the eastern Khasi and Jaintia Hills.

 

The couple from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, vanished on May 23 after checking out of their homestay at Nongriat village. They had descended 3,000 steps into the gorge to visit the famous living root bridges, parking their rented scooter at Mawlakhiat village before beginning their trek.

 

Raja's brother identified the body through a distinctive "Raja" tattoo on the victim's right hand. Missing gold rings, a chain, and a wallet have strengthened family suspicions of robbery-murder, prompting demands for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe.

 

Police have registered a murder case and formed a special investigation team. Evidence collected includes a woman's white shirt, medicine strips, mobile phone fragments, and a smartwatch - items that investigators hope may provide crucial leads to Sonam's whereabouts.

 

The tragedy has shaken Meghalaya's tourism sector and prompted soul-searching among local authorities. Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma called the incident "very unfortunate" and "something which nobody had seen in Meghalaya before," promising comprehensive action to apprehend the perpetrators.

 

This marks the second tourist death in the area this year, following Hungarian trekker Puskas Zsolt's fatal fall near the living root bridge in January, though authorities ruled out foul play in that case.

 

As the NDRF teams navigate dangerous terrain and unpredictable weather, Sonam's brother Govind has made emotional public appeals for accelerated efforts. "We believe Sonam is alive. We want the government and chief minister to expedite the search," he pleaded, reflecting a family's desperate hope amid mounting odds.

 

The case has galvanised women's organisations across the state, with the Mothers' Union and Civil Society Women Organisation demanding immediate action and comprehensive searches. Their calls echo growing concerns about tourist safety in one of Northeast India's premier destinations.

 

With each passing day, the NDRF-led operation faces mounting challenges from both natural elements and the ticking clock, as rescuers push deeper into Meghalaya's unforgiving landscape in their race against time to find Sonam Raghuvanshi.