Rescue personnel await clearer weather to speed up operations
Shillong, June 4: In what could be another crucial finding in the investigation into the murder of a tourist Raja Raghuvanshi and his still missing wife Sonam, a stained raincoat was recovered near Mawkma road in Sohra.
The raincoat was found at a place 5 meters away from Mawkma road, but it is too early to determine whether it is linked to the missing woman.
“We recovered a wet raincoat. There are certain stains on it, but we cannot confirm if those are blood stains — only forensic tests will determine that,” said East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem on Wednesday.
Police are investigating if the raincoat matches the one worn by Sonam in available video footage. “We will compare with the footages that we have, whether it belongs to the female or not, and only after some time we can confirm. Even the size also is 3XL,” he added.
Meanwhile, search teams braved heavy rainfall and combed the dense undergrowth in Wei Sawdong area on Wednesday.
“Many groups are involved — more than 50 to 60 people from NDRF, SDRF, Fire and Emergency Services, SIT, SOT, and also local volunteers,” the SP said.
Search efforts will continue in the surrounding areas, he said.
Asked about the possibility of using drones when the rain subsides, Syiem said, “It was only recently the weather cleared a bit, otherwise the weather was bad and torrential rain was making it very difficult, even then we used the NESAC drone.”
It was with the help of a drone footage that the tourist’s decomposed body was first spotted in a deep gorge.
“When it cleared up, we could find the body and other evidence. Hopefully the weather clears up,” he added.
To a query on various speculations about the cause of murder and the culprits, Syiem said, “A lot of theories will be there. The SIT is formed. We will gather evidence and get to the facts of the matter.”
“All possibilities are being considered. We will proceed based on facts, the circumstances, and evidence collected from the crime scene. From there, we will know which direction to take,” he added.
On the status of the post-mortem, Syiem said, “Post-mortem was done yesterday and we are yet to get the report.”
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said its personnel will resume its search for Sonam Raghuvanshi on Thursday, as poor visibility and slippery conditions forced the team to halt operations on Wednesday.
The NDRF team had descended around 700 feet into the Arliang gorge near Wei Sawdong — the same area where the body of Raja Raghuvanshi was discovered earlier.
NDRF inspector Lalringsan said the terrain is particularly challenging due to heavy mist and unstable ground, unlike conditions in places like Kashmir or Uttarakhand.
He confirmed that the team will return to continue the search at the same location tomorrow.
