The body of a 29-year-old tourist from Madhya Pradesh, who went missing along with his wife on May 23 while holidaying in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills, was recovered from a gorge in Sohra on Monday morning.
Police said the body, identified by family members as that of Raja Raghuvanshi from Indore, was found in a deep gorge near Weisawdong waterfalls around 11am using drone surveillance. The search for his wife, Sonam, is still underway.
The couple, who had recently married, had arrived in Mawlakhiat village on May 22 on a rented scooter and spent the night in Nongriat. They were reported missing the following day. Their scooter was found abandoned on May 24 and a missing FIR was lodged on May 25.
Since May 28, three dedicated teams comprising around 50 personnel — supported by sniffer dogs, drones, Meghalaya police’s special operations team, and local villagers — were deployed in the search effort across Weisawdong, Nongriat and Mawlakhiat.
Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya confirmed Raghuvanshi’s death on X, saying: “It has now been reported in the media that his body has been found, a revelation that brings immense grief.”
According to reports, Raghuvanshi’s brother Vipin identified the body by the name "Raja" inscribed on one of his hands. He and Sonam’s brother Govind were part of the search teams. The body was found nearly 25km from the spot where the scooty was recovered.