Honeymoon murder: How locals helped in cracking case, save Meghalaya's 'image' and tourism

A group of trained local mountaineers scaled the treacherous gorges and canyons near Weisawdong Falls and recovered the blood-stained body.

Guwahati: Social media posts and media reports questioning safety of tourists following disappearance of a couple from Indore at Sohra, a popular tourist destination about 2,300kms away in Meghalaya, came as a shocker for many. 

It was the last week of May. Like every summer, tourist inflow to the cool and picturesque Meghalaya was picking up.

But negative publicity the reports drew angered many, particularly those depended on tourism for livelihoods.

Nestled atop over 4,600 feet, Sohra is a popular honeymoon destination and tourist inflow goes up due to its cool climate, landscape, several caves and numerous enchanting falls. 

Joint efforts

This worry perhaps pushed many in East Khasi Hills district to join hands with the state police and other government rescue agencies in the recovery of Raja Raghuvanshi's body on May 2. A group of trained local mountaineers scaled the treacherous gorges and canyons near Weisawdong Falls, which, according to locals, has remained closed for tourists due to a local dispute and recovered the blood-stained body.

Raja's wife, Sonam, however, remained traceless. The investigation and CCTV footage police collected till then revealed that three persons, who later turned out to be "hired killers," followed the couple at Sohra.

Sources said police asked several tour guides in Sohra to identify the assailants.

"One tourist identified the couple and the three persons following them. This helped us a lot in the investigation," a police officer in Shillong told DH, on Wednesday.

"Recovery of the body was crucial for the investigation and the help we got from local mountaineers came handy," he said. 

The trail

Based on call records along with the evidence provided by locals, police managed to catch Sonam, her "boyfriend" Raj Kushwaha and three other accused, Vishal Singh Chouhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Investigation revealed that Raghuvanshi was killed by the three and pushed into the gorge while her wife Sonam looked on. 

"Our police once again proved their professional competence and cracked the case within seven days. We're hurt by the way some people questioned the local people and the safety aspects for tourists. But those people have been proved wrong now," CM Conrad K Sangma told reporters, while lauding police and the help provided by the local people.

"Meghalaya is a safe place for the visitors, people welcome them with open hearts and there is nothing to worry while visiting our state," he said. 

On Tuesday, hundreds at Sohra came out, lit candles and prayed for the deceased family. Some organisations in Shillong, however, one again raised their demand for introduction of Inner Line Permit (ILP) system, which is in place in four other tribal-dominated states, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

Outsider visitors are required to take travel permits while visiting the four states. The ILP, they said, would help keep track of all visitors. 

Tourism in Meghalaya

Tourism is the second largest job provider and according to Meghalaya tourism department, the number of tourists increased from 10 lakh in 2022 to 16.08 lakh in 2024.

More than 3.37 lakh people also visited during the Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival, Me'gong Festival at Tura, Winter Tales and Shillong Literary Festival in 2024. Shillong, Sohra, Jowai, Nongstoin and Garo Hills are some of the major tourist attractions in Meghalaya.