Her husband Raja's body has been discovered, but there is no trace of Sonam Raghuvanshi.
When Raja and Sonam Raghuvanshi, a newly-wed couple from Indore, changed their plan and decided to visit Shillong, little did they know that their honeymoon would end in tragedy.
'Their initial plan was to visit Guwahati. We are not sure why they changed their plan,' Govind Raghuvanshi, Sonam's brother, told media-persons at Wei Sawdong in Sohra, Meghalaya, on June 5.
Raja's body was found in a gorge at Wei Sawdong on June 2.
The couple went missing in Sohra on May 23. There is no trace of Sonam so far.
The search and rescue team, which includes members of the national and state disaster response force and villagers, is on the task.
Mystery continues
Wei Sawdong -- about 25 km from Sohrarim where the couple's rented two-wheeler was found abandoned -- is a serene place. It was a foggy day when this correspondent visited the site where the search operation was underway.
Cloaked in mist, the picturesque place seemed to hide some secret from the world outside. Symbolic it was, but the truth is that the case is shrouded in mystery, even after the husband's body was recovered.
The Meghalaya police have lodged a murder case. The murder weapon, a machete (local dao) has also been found. And yet, several questions remain unanswered:
Why was the two-wheeler's key left behind?
Who took the two-wheeler to Sohrarim?
Did the couple visit Wei Sawdong themselves, or were they forcefully brought there?
If they were forcefully brought to the place, then why was Raja's last Instagram post traced to this place?
And, finally, where is Sonam?
Sonam's brother Govind and cousin Kiran Mule, both of whom are in Meghalaya, believe that their sister was kidnapped (external link).
'Sonam spoke to her mother-in-law around 1.30 pm on May 23. Raja's last post was from Wei Sawdong. It's been so many days, and the rescuers have not found any of Sonam's possessions. So, we strongly believe she is alive and has been kidnapped,' said Govind.
That Sonam is still missing adds another layer of mystery.
Rescue team's challenges
The rescue team has been carrying out an extensive search operation since June 2. This is despite the challenges they are facing amid incessant rain.
An NDRF member said the visibility was low (external link) owing to fog and dense vegetation along the slopes. The ground is wet and the stones are slippery after heavy rain, and this is hindering rappelling.
The search operation is being carried out in Wei Sawdong and the surrounding areas, including Mawkma village, where a red jacket was found. "We will continue as long as the police want our assistance," said the NDRF member before resuming the search on Saturday morning.
Tourism at stake?
While the rescuers struggle in the difficult terrain, many view this incident as a blight on Sohra's image as a popular tourist destination.
Alan West Kharkongor, director, Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation, was concerned about the crime, "which was unfortunate in a peaceful place like Sohra".
"So far, tourism has not been affected, but if incidents such as this are repeated, then tourism will suffer," Kharkongor said.
The couple parked the rented two-wheeler in Mawlakhiat village and went to Nongriat, the double-decker root bridge village, on May 22. It is assumed that they came back to Mawlakhiat on May 23 and must have gone to Wei Sawdong from there.
Wei Sawdong is isolated from the rest of the viewpoints along the way.
"Whoever has committed this crime must have come from down there (from Mawlakhiat) and chose this place because it is isolated," Kharkongor said, while explaining the geography of the place.
It becomes imperative that the case be solved as early as possible, as the livelihood of the locals in Sohra solely depends on tourism.
National outrage
The damage, of course, has been done to some extent with the national media tagging the place as 'crime-prone hills'. This has hurt sentiments, and people in Meghalaya are outraged at the impertinence of "those who have little idea about the place and its people".
"The local villagers would not commit such a heinous act because tourism is their livelihood,' pointed out Kharkongor.
Nonetheless, the crime has been committed in the state. While one must eschew a media trial, there is also a need for expediting the case. The families of the victims have demanded a CBI inquiry. It would be a wise move to seek expertise from the central agency to solve the case.
'This is the first time that Meghalaya has witnessed such an incident. The state is known for its hospitality. I want to assure the family that justice will be delivered,' Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma recently said.
However, it must be a timely justice for which all stakeholders need to show alacrity.
Nabamita Mitra is the co-founder of Meghalaya Monitor, a news Web site, and an independent writer.
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