Tourist Couple's Last 12 Hours In Meghalaya Village Before They Disappeared: What Witnesses Said

The 12 hours that a couple from Madhya Pradesh's Indore spent at Nongriat village in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills during their visit to the popular double-decker living root bridge have now been accounted for, according to investigators who spoke with the locals and took their statements.

Newly wed couple Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife Sonam visited some areas during their honeymoon in Meghalaya before they went missing on May 23. While Raja Raghuvanshi's body was found in a gorge on June 2, a search is still on for his wife.

Teams from the police and even the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are searching for Sonam, whose family said they believe she must have been kidnapped and have not lost hope of finding her.

The couple checked into a guesthouse in Meghalaya's capital Shillong on May 21. The next day they hired a scooty and rode to the popular tourist hotspot Sohra (Cherrapunji). After reaching Mawlakhiat village in East Khasi Hills, they kept the scooty at a parking spot run by the local community for tourists, and hired a local guide to trek to a homestay at Nongriat village in the same district.

The guide who took them on the trek to Nongriat from Mawlakhiat said it takes nearly three hours and involves descending some 3,000 steps.

"The couple called us on May 22; it was late, around 3.30 pm, but I did not refuse and decided to guide them to Nongriat. After dropping them at Shipara Homestay, we left," the guide Bhakupar Wanshai said, adding another guide, Albert Pde, also accompanied them.

"We offered our service for the next day (May 23), but they [the couple] refused, saying they know the route," Mr Wanshai said.

Mr Wanshai in his police statement said Sonam did most of the talking with them in English.

The couple and the two guides reached Shipara Homestay at Nongriat village at 5.30 pm, the woman who runs the homestay said.

"On May 22, two guests came to stay here (Shipara Homestay). They came along with guides. I can't recall the exact time... but I think it was around 5 pm. When they arrived here, I showed them the room, and they agreed to stay. While we were sitting here, they asked about the room tariff and fees for the guide, and when to clear the payment, to which I said, 'today'," the homestay owner Sianti Sohkhlet said.

She said the couple declined the guide's service for the next day.

"I took the money and asked them to sign in the register, and showed them their room. They checked in and left to see the living root bridges after locking the room. They returned after a while. It was already dark. We prepared food and took it to their room. They had dinner and retired for the night," Ms Sohkhlet said.

Shipara Homestay is located close to the double-decker living root bridge in Nongriat.

"The next morning, I woke up around 5.30 am. The couple said they would check out early, so I asked if they would like to have breakfast. They refused, saying it was too early and they were not hungry," the homestay owner said.

"They paid for the food [dinner] and signed out from the register. I asked if they would remember the way, and they said they would, pointing at the stairs before leaving," Ms Sohkhlet said.

The couple left the homestay at 6 am on May 23.

The last person who saw the couple was the guide Albert Pde. During questioning by the state police, he said he saw the couple at 10 am climbing the 3,000 steps towards Mawlakhiat village along with three men who he believed to be tourists.

The couple went missing after that.