Raja and Sonam Raghuvanshi, a couple from Indore, went missing on May 23 while hiking in the scenic Sohra area, making their honeymoon vacation to Meghalaya sad. A unique “Raja” tattoo on his wrist helped identify Raja’s semi-decomposed corpse, which was found in a steep canyon under Wei Sawdong Falls a few days later.

From the lowest level of the gorge, a cell phone and the probable murder weapon, a dao (machete), were also recovered. After the pair lost communication while walking in the region, authorities filed a murder case against them. Sonam has not been found, and the search is still ongoing.

Given the stolen objects, including Raja’s diamond bracelet and pocketbook, the family speculates that robbery may have been the motivation. Raja’s brother, Vipin Raghuvanshi, told reporters, “We suspect murder due to robbery — his purse and diamond bracelet are missing,” and called for a CBI investigation. It seems like Sonam Raghuvanshi has been abducted.

The Final Call Sonam Made

However, Sonam’s last call to her mother-in-law now stands out as a potential clue to the impending peril. On May 23, which is Gyaras, a day of fasting, Raja’s mother claims that Sonam contacted her to see how she was doing. “Ghumne ke chakkar main vrat thodi tod dungi” (Just because I’m vacationing, I won’t break my fast) was Sonam’s response when urged to eat anything while they were climbing, according to The Times of India.

The conversation was recorded by the family, and Sonam can be heard gasping for air as he explains that they were hiking through a forest to view a waterfall. She finishes the conversation abruptly by promising to speak later, but that never happened.

Vipin said that they had asked the police to check the same spot where the corpse was later discovered, but that their requests were ignored for a number of crucial days, according to the story in The Times of India. Concerns about some “suspects” possibly deceiving police about the true murder site have also been voiced by the family.

East Khasi Hills SP Rejecting rumors of a premeditated murder, Vivek Syiem admitted that the pair had a little argument with a female coffee seller.