'I feel the murderers had done a recce of this place before murdering Raja.'
' It is isolated, there are no CCTV cameras.'
'It was a fit place to commit the crime.'
If Raja Raghuvanshi's murder in Meghalaya shocked us, what has unfolded since has been even more shocking.
The Indore resident had traveled to the North East state on his honeymoon with his bride Sonam, when they suddenly went incommunicado.
When his decomposed body was discovered last week in the East Khasi Hills and there were no signs of his wife, it was speculated that locals from Meghalaya may have been involved in the crime and that his missing wife could have been abducted.
The Meghalaya police conducted many search operations in the East Khasi hills; the National Disaster Response Force pitched in to locate Sonam, who was believed to have been murdered like her husband.
On Monday, June 9, 2025, morning, Sonam surrendered before the Ghazipur police in Uttar Pradesh, after which she was arrested for her husband's murder.
Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff spoke to Alan West Kharkongor, president, Meghalaya Rural Tourism Forum, who for the past week has been trying hard to locate Sonam.
What was the reaction in Meghalaya to Raja Raghuvanshi's murder and his wife Sonam going missing?
All of us in Meghalaya were shocked by this news because our state is very peaceful. Cherrapunji is a very beautiful place and is known for its hospitality. And here a murder happened which was a shock to everyone.
We are a God fearing people and for us to commit such a crime was just unimaginable.
Investigation was going on into the murder and the search operation too was ongoing. It was very difficult for us to come to a conclusion.
Now the news of Raja's wife Sonam surrendering in Uttar Pradesh and three people being arrested for the murder is a huge relief for us in Cherrapunji and Sohra.
We were branded like murderers and a bad image was painted about us. We were sad that (it was projected) as if Meghalaya's hills were crime prone. This was sad. Now everyone knows we in Meghalaya are peace-loving people.
You had gone to the spot where Raja's dead body was found. Can you describe the spot?
It is a very isolated place. It is very quiet over there because of an ongoing dispute among three villages.
The murder took place at a famous waterfall, Wei Sawdong.
What happened was that because of the dispute among villages (external link) (Laitduh, Umblai and Mawphu, all of whom claim ownership over these spots) over revenue sharing from tourist income, entry to this waterfall was closed two years ago.
This place is far from the main town of Cherrapunji.
Looking back, I feel the murderers had done a recce of this place before murdering Raja. The place is isolated and therefore there are no CCTV cameras available. It was a fit place to commit the crime.
The murderers had thrown Raja's body 400 metres in the gorge after killing him. It was difficult for the rescue team to locate it. All thanks to the Meghalaya police to solve the murder mystery case.
Do tourists travel to that place now?
It was a very famous spot and it is different from other waterfalls. Nearly 2,000 tourists used to travel to this spot.
Unfortunately, revenue generation and distribution led to the dispute between villages of that area.
There was claim and counterclaim. The matter went to court and the authorities decided to shut down the place for tourists two years ago. After that the place became desolated.
In other words, it was an ideal place to murder someone.
When you reached the spot and saw Raja's body what was going on in your mind?
When I reached there my first impression was of uncertainty. The machete that was used to murder Raja was different from the ones that are used by locals. The police recovered that machete.
I thought if a local had to kill Raja they would have used a local machete. Therefore doubts persisted in my mind that some local had not killed Raja.
What efforts were made to look for Sonam after Raja's body was found?
There were consistent efforts by the Meghalaya police team to search for Sonam.
Raja's body was found on June 2 and there was no trace of Sonam. There was speculation that maybe Sonam was abducted and taken somewhere else.
These kinds of thoughts were going on as no one knew who was involved in the murder. Hats off to the Meghalaya police as they were able to solve the case.
What was the last CCTV footage of Sonam and Raja?
The last CCTV footage of Sonam and Raja was seen from a guesthouse in Cherrapunji. The wife was looking to be in panic. When Raja was seen on a motorbike she didn't sit with him immediately. She was seen in the CCTV footage texting someone. That was not normal.
One could feel that something was wrong. From there they left for a place called Nongriat and this was the last time Raja was seen on CCTV (on May 22).
Was there no one else who saw them after this incident?
There was a guide named Albert Pde who saw Raja and Sonam before Raja's death. He said he saw three other men who had accompanied the couple.
This led to suspicion of Sonam being involved in the murder because her body was not found and only Raja's body was found. However, no one spoke about it at that time as it was only suspicion.
Is Meghalaya a popular destination for tourists from the rest of India?
Yes, we have seen a good number of people traveling to Meghalaya for tourism. We have seen a lot of inflow of tourists.
In 2024, 14 lakh (1.4 million) tourists came to Meghalaya.
Will this case dent the image of Meghalaya tourism?
The news that Sonam is involved and no local from Meghalaya is involved in Raja's murder has reassured tourists that Meghalaya is a safe destination.
Meghalaya is a peace-loving place and harmless.
© 2025