Shillong, June 7 Even as the hectic search for the missing Madhya Pradesh woman continued for over two weeks on Saturday, Meghalaya's lone BJP Minister, Alexander Laloo Hek has supported the families’ demand for a CBI probe into the death of Raja Raghuvanshi, whose wife Sonam is still missing.
The decomposed body of Sonam's husband Raja Raghuvanshi was recovered on June 2.
The couple from Indoor in Madhya Pradesh went missing on May 23 while visiting Meghalaya’s Sohra-Cherrapunji areas, a tourism hotspot in the northeastern region.
On Saturday, the Minister said that the CBI can inquire into the incident since the family members have been demanding for such a probe to ensure justice for Raja and help in tracing Sonam.
Hek, who holds the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary and Fisheries portfolios, told the media that Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has not yet opposed the CBI inquiry into the matter.
Meghalaya Police, National Disaster Response Force, local volunteers and villagers and other agencies are continuing their search operation to locate the missing woman.
The search teams are using drones, sniffer dogs, mountaineers and local people in the search operation.
A Meghalaya police official said that since the couple -- Raja Raghuvanshi (29) and his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi (27) from Indore went missing on May 23, the search team recovered the body of Raja on May 2, after a police drone spotted the dead body in the deep gorge below the Weisawdong Parking Lot at Riat Arliang in the Sohra-Cherrapunji areas under East Khasi Hills district.
The search team had recovered a raincoat, bloodstained machete, which was suspected to have been used in the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi.
Demanding a CBI inquiry into the incident, Raja’s brother, Govind Raguvanshi, had told the media that since his slain brother’s gold rings, a gold chain, and a wallet are missing, they suspect it is a clear case of murder.
“We urge the authorities to hand over the case to the CBI to conduct an inquiry into this case,” he said.
The Meghalaya Police have constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by a Superintendent of Police-level officer and assisted by four Deputy Superintendent of Police rank officers.
According to the police official, the newlywed couple reportedly arrived from Indore in the mountainous state on May 20 for their honeymoon and visited some areas before going to Sohra-Cherrapunji.
The couple hired a two-wheeler and visited the picturesque area before their disappearance, the official said. The couple’s mobile phones have been switched off since May 24 night.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) earlier spoke to Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and inquired about the progress of the search operation.
Sangma had said that he personally monitored the search and rescue efforts constantly.
Madhya Pradesh MPs Shankar Lalwani and Sumer Singh Solanki also came to Meghalaya and held meetings with the Director General of Police, Nongrang, and Chief Secretary D.P. Wahlang to discuss the search operations.
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