INDORE: “I did not die… I was killed,” said posters at the funeral of Raja Raghuvanshi, who was found hacked to death and thrown into a deep gorge in Sohra (Cherrapunjee), Meghalaya. His bride, Sonam, is still missing, and both families allege that the Meghalaya authorities are not doing enough to find her.“I fear Sonam will not be found there anymore – she has been abducted and disappeared,” said Raja’s brother Vipin, who brought his body home on Wednesday. He and Sonam’s brother Govind have been looking for the missing couple in Meghalaya.Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma expressed his condolences and said, “I want to assure the family members that we are working overtime to make sure that we get to the facts and to the depths of what happened. We are not clear yet about the sequence of the events. We are looking for the wife. The entire society, community and stakeholders have gotten involved in this. We are leaving no stones unturned to find her.”

Both families, however, demand that the probe be handed to CBI and the search to Army. “Police there start work at 10am and are done by 4pm. That’s the level of seriousness with which they’re handling such a critical matter,” Vipin alleged.If CBI takes over, Raja’s killers will be caught: Family Police there start work at 10am and are done by 4pm. That’s the level of seriousness with which they’re handling such a critical matter,” Vipin alleged. Govind said: “Police are only searching near the area where Raja’s body was found – focusing on recovering a dead body instead of trying to find her alive.”Govind said the search couldn’t proceed as planned on Wednesday due to bad weather.“They are searching the jungle, but it seems they are not making any real attempt to locate Sonam alive. She has been kidnapped. There have been similar incidents in the past as well, which were suppressed. This is a case of abduction, but the authorities are not changing their search area. It appears police have already given up,” Govind told TOI.The duo recalled an unsettling encounter with a local when Raja’s body had not been found. Near Double Decker Bridge, the last known location of the honeymooning couple, a local man allegedly warned them not to defame Meghalaya. “Local police refuse to acknowledge something serious has happened. I saw everything firsthand. If CBI takes over, Raja’s killers can definitely be caught,” said Vipin.He alleged that the administration did not cooperate for the first eight days. “Police kept lying to us, saying they had twice searched the place where Raja’s body was eventually found. Had they done so, Raja’s body could have been recovered much sooner.”Vipin fears Sonam has been abducted. “Girls are trafficked there. Local people hold more power than police. Police haven’t yet touched the people I suspect. We suspect the man who rented the scooter to Raja was involved. His friends came to meet us. There’s a gang operating there, and local police are aware of it, but are refusing to share information.”East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem has, however, said locals have been very helpful in the search. “Such incidents will affect them adversely and they are very concerned that this has happened. Because of the locals and rescue teams, we could cover 150 sq km in our search for the victims,” he said on Tuesday.Heavy rain and the treacherous terrain have made the search very difficult, say Meghalaya authorities.Sohra SDPO Pynhun Syiem is leading the search team that comprises NDRF, SDRF, SRT, fire and emergency services (FES), Special Investigation Team (SIT) and dozens of local volunteers.The Meghalaya CM said, “This is a very unfortunate incident, something we haven’t seen in Meghalaya before. It has taken all of us by surprise. Even local people and stakeholders in the tourism sector are very surprised. Meghalaya has always been a tourist-friendly area. We have always ensured the safety of tourists. This is something very out of the ordinary for us also.”Meghalaya tourism minister Paul Lyngdoh urged the public not to jump to conclusions as the investigation is still on. Calling the incident “unprecedented and shocking,” Lyngdoh said the “full picture has yet to emerge”.Lyngdoh reassured the public and tourists that Meghalaya remains a safe and welcoming destination.