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The search effort, spanning the dense undergrowth of the Wei Sawdong area, has faced significant challenges due to heavy rainfall.
The couple, who were on their honeymoon, went missing on 23 May shortly after checking out of a homestay in Nongriat village.
Search operations for 27-year-old Sonam Raghuvanshi, who went missing in Meghalaya on May 23 during her honeymoon, continue in full swing across the Sohra region. A raincoat with blood stains — suspected to possibly belong to the missing tourist — was recovered on Wednesday near Mawkma Road, Sohra, and has been sent for forensic testing.
“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,” East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said, as quoted by both NDTV and TOI.
The recovered raincoat, marked XXXL in size, is being compared with available video footage to determine whether it belonged to Sonam Raghuvanshi. Authorities said confirmation will take time, pending visual matching and forensic analysis.
The search effort, spanning the dense undergrowth of the Wei Sawdong area, has faced significant challenges due to heavy rainfall. SP Syiem said that drones from NESAC had been deployed intermittently, but poor weather had hindered aerial reconnaissance.
“It was only recently the weather cleared a bit, otherwise the weather was bad, and torrential rain was making it very difficult, even though we used the NESAC drone,” he said.
It was through this drone support that the body of Sonam’s husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, was discovered on Monday in a gorge near Weisawdong.
Recovered along with Raja’s decomposed body were a machete, a white shirt belonging to a woman, a strip of medicine, a part of a mobile phone LCD screen, and a smartwatch. Authorities are awaiting the post-mortem report.
As per SP Syiem, more than 50 to 60 personnel have been mobilized for the extensive search, including teams from the NDRF, SDRF, Fire and Emergency Services, Special Investigation Team (SIT), Special Operations Team (SOT), and local volunteers. The operation is set to continue as weather permits.
The couple had arrived in Mawlakhiat village on May 22 and stayed overnight in Nongriat. Their scooter was found parked on May 24 outside a café along the Shillong–Sohra road, but Sonam remains missing as the search continues.
Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com as Chief Sub-Editor since 2022, covering innumerable big and small events, includ…Read More
Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com as Chief Sub-Editor since 2022, covering innumerable big and small events, includ… Read More
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