Shillong (Meghalaya) [India], June 4 : A special investigation team (SIT) has been formed after the Meghalaya Police recovered the weapon in the suspected murder of Raja Raghuvanshi, a tourist from Madhya Pradesh's who went missing with his wife Sonam, an official said.
Superintendent of Police (SP) East Khasi Hills Vivek Syiem said the police had registered a case and seized a phone. He added that the postmortem of Raghuvanshi's body was conducted on Tuesday.
"The postmortem of the body of Raja Raghuvanshi was done. The case has been registered, and a special investigation team has been formed, headed by the SP city. We have recovered and seized the phone and the weapon (used in the crime)," SP Syiem told ANI.
When asked about the whereabouts of Raghuvanshi's wife, Sonam, he said, "We haven't found the body yet".
A newlywed couple from Indore, who went missing in Shillong, capital of Meghalaya, on May 23, met with a tragic end as the body of the husband was found in a ditch while the search operation for the woman continues, a police officer said earlier.
The couple tied the knot last month on May 11 and left for a Shillong trip from Indore on May 20. The family had their last conversation with the couple on the afternoon of May 23, and their phone was switched off by the evening of the same day, according to the family member.
After receiving missing information, the police began the search for the couple, but unfortunately, the body of the man was found on Monday afternoon, while the search for the woman continued.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP, Crime Branch) Rajesh Kumar Tripathi told ANI, "We had a word with Vipin Raghuvanshi, brother of the missing man, and he clarified that a dead body was found, and it was his brother Raja Raghuvanshi. The body has been identified as Raja Raghuvanshi, and there is no information about the woman till now (wife of Raja Raghuvanshi). The search operation continues, and an NDRF team is also searching. It is difficult to say anything about her until we receive any clue."
"The whole incident is 10 days old (the couple went missing on May 23), and it is not clear how old the body is (referring to death time). It will be ascertained after the postmortem report. The body was recovered from a ditch, and it was nearly 25 kilometres away from the place where their two-wheeler was parked. Only one body has been identified so far, and the search for the woman is still going on," he added.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Cabinet Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya expressed grief over the incident and said that a search operation is on to find the woman, praying to find her safe and sound.
"Amid heavy rain, the police and NDRF together searched and found the body of the man and further search operation was continued to find his wife. We pray to God that she should be found well. The Madhya Pradesh government, Central government, Meghalaya government, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah all made efforts to search for the couple. I am constantly in touch. We are very sad that we could not save Raghuvanshi, but now we believe in God that we will find his wife. The search for her is going on there," Vijayvargiya said.