Mawlakhiat, June 7: A recent eyewitness testimony has shed light on the ongoing investigation regarding the disappearance of a tourist couple from Indore.

Albert Pde, a local guide from Mawlakhiat village, which serves as the primary access point to the Double Decker Root Bridge in Nongriat, reported seeing Raja and Sonam Raghuvanshi with three unidentified men shortly before Raja was discovered dead and Sonam went missing.

Pde recalled spotting the couple around 10 am on May 23 as they headed towards the Mawlakhiat parking area.

“Raja was conversing casually in Hindi with three tourists while Sonam trailed a few steps behind,” he stated. Due to his comfort in Khasi and English, Pde was unable to understand their discussion.

Initially reluctant to share his observations, Pde spoke up after encouragement from fellow villagers. He confirmed that he had previously given a statement to the police.

He also noted that he had offered his guiding services to the couple on May 22, which they declined politely. The couple had arrived that day on a rented scooter from Shillong.

Reports indicate that the Raghuvanshis spent the night at Shipara Homestay in Nongriat, where they were dropped off by a local named Bha Wansai, who expressed his worries as well.

“They turned down my offer for further assistance after the drop-off. I didn’t see them leave the village the next morning, but I later noticed their scooter was missing,” he told local media.

The situation took a tragic turn when Raja’s decomposed body was discovered in a gorge near Weisawdong Falls on June 2. A machete, believed to be the murder weapon, was found nearby.

Authorities have confirmed that the case is being treated as a homicide. Meanwhile, Sonam remains unaccounted for, and her family fears she may have been abducted and possibly smuggled across the Bangladesh border.

Local residents are increasingly anxious about the negative perception this incident has created for their community. “We are god-fearing individuals and have never encountered such crime before,” Pde remarked. The community is particularly troubled by the fact that the murder weapon was a new machete, not typically used for everyday woodcutting.

Wansai expressed that tourism in Sohra and nearby areas has suffered, with the village becoming the target of harmful social media commentary. “We treat tourists like family, returning lost items, yet this incident is being used to damage our reputation,” he lamented.

A visit to the Mawlakhiat parking area revealed significant administrative shortcomings. The visitor logbook was poorly maintained, lacking essential details like names or vehicle numbers, complicating tracking efforts for both police and locals. Attempts to trace the rented scooter only succeeded when it was found abandoned in Sohrarim and later connected to the couple through an e-challan.

Despite rising concerns, officials are grappling with infrastructural issues. Poor road conditions and unreliable power supply have hindered the installation of CCTV cameras, a necessary measure given the area's popularity among tourists.

As the police continue their investigation, including inquiries into potential links to human trafficking or cross-border activities, the mystery surrounding Sonam’s disappearance remains unresolved.

The Meghalaya Police have yet to provide any updates regarding possible suspects or the identities of the three men last seen with the couple.