
Machete to ‘kill' Raja bought in Guwahati: Cops
Guwahati: The 'dao' (machete) allegedly used in the murder of Indore tourist Raja Raghuvanshi was bought somewhere in Guwahati and did not resemble the ones used locally, the police said on Monday.
The recovery of the 'dao' on June 2 led to the discovery of Raja's body near the Weisawdong Falls the same day.
Raja and his wife, Sonam, who were on a honeymoon trip to Sohra, had gone missing on May 23. While Raja's body was found, Sonam remained untraced until she surrendered to police in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday night. Two days after the recovery of Raja's body, police sources said the machete recovered from the gorge does not resemble those traditionally used in Meghalaya, and the handle of the machete is also uncommon in the region.
Besides the 'dao', police also found a smashed mobile phone in the gorge.
The probe was carried out by a SIT led by SP (City) Herbert Kharkongor. The team includes four deputy SPs and two sub-inspectors. East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem said preliminary probe reveals a cut injury with a sharp weapon on the back of Raja's head.
The traditional 'dao', called the 'Khasi dao', is a traditional single-edged sword used by the Khasis in Meghalaya.

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