The Meghalaya Police on Monday (June 2, 2025) recovered the body of Raja Raghuvanshi, a tourist from Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, from a 100-ft gorge after an eight-day search.

His missing wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, is yet to be traced. The newly-weds went missing on May 24.

A police drone spotted Raghuvanshi’s body in a deep gorge below the Weisawdong parking lot at Riat Arliang around 11 a.m., according to a statement from an official in the Sohra Subdivision of the State’s East Khasi Hills district.

Rain hampers search

“The search was hampered by continuous rain and foggy conditions. The weather cleared today [on Monday], helping a police team retrieve the man’s body from the gorge about 100 feet deep,” the district’s Superintendent of Police, Vivek Syiem, told The Hindu.

The search for the couple started a day after they went missing. The two-wheeler they hired from Shillong was found abandoned at a spot short of Sohra (Cherrapunjee), and their phones were switched off.

The relatives of the Indore man identified his body from his name, ‘Raja’, tattooed on his right hand. A lady’s white shirt, a part of the LCD screen of a mobile phone, and a smartwatch from the wrist of the deceased were found at the spot.

“Due to steep and inaccessible terrain, the body was taken to the parking lot for a magisterial inquest,” the official statement read. Following the inquest, the body was sent to the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences, Shillong, for autopsy.

The statement said that the search for his wife was continuing.

Probe team set up

“The police are actively investigating the case, and no possibilities, including foul play, have been ruled out at this stage. A case of murder is being registered and a special investigation team is being formed to conduct the investigation,” the statement further said.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav condoled Raghuvanshi’s death. “I offer my deepest condolences to the bereaved family in this difficult time. I pray to god to grant peace to the departed soul and give him a place at his holy feet,” he said on X.

Earlier, Indore MP Shankar Lalwani met Meghalaya Director-General of Police Idashisha Nongrang to review the search efforts for the couple.

According to the couple’s family, Raja and Sonam got married on May 11 and left for a trip to Meghalaya on May 20.

Kin allege lapses

The couple’s family and friends alleged delays and lapses on the part of the Meghalaya authorities. A member of the Raghuvanshi family said the couple could have been safe had the search efforts been launched earlier.

“The entire family is upset with the Meghalaya Police. We have been requesting that the Meghalaya government make high-level efforts with drones for eight days, but they kept telling us about the bad weather and heavy rain in the region. Would they have made the same excuses if it were a high-profile person?” he asked.