Vipin Raghuvanshi, the brother of Raja Raghuvanshi whose body was recovered from Weisawdong Parking Lot, Riat Arliang in Sohra, has asked for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct an investigation into his sibling’s death.
Speaking to reporters today, though before police confirmed that his brother was the victim of a homicide, Vipin said that Raja’s belongings – wallet, bracelet, chain, bag and ring – had not been recovered. Raja’s wife Sonam is also still missing.
Vipin said that the family are desperate to find Sonam alive. The pair were last seen alive on May 22-23. Raja’s body was located yesterday after a prolonged search by state authorities. The search had been complicated by a sustained period of heavy rain and because there was little to go on in terms of pinpointing the couple’s location.
Vipin stated it would be much better if the CBI from Delhi probed the incident as there was local pushback against the idea of foul play. According to him, it was highly suspicious that the two-wheeler the pair had rented was found 25km away from where Raja’s body was ultimately located.
This presented the possibility that the couple had been kidnapped, Vipin said while discounting the idea that they were victims of enemies who had followed them from Madhya Pradesh to commit the crime.
An autopsy was conducted on Raja’s remains at NEIGRIHMS in Shillong. In the evening, Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem informed that a dao found near Raja’s body had been the murder weapon.
