Agencies, New Delhi, June 16, 2025 : A chilling video capturing the final moments of Indore resident Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife Sonam before Raja’s alleged murder has gone viral on social media, intensifying public emotion and police investigation into what is now being described as a meticulously planned crime.
The footage, believed to be the last known visual of the couple, was inadvertently recorded by travel vlogger Devender Singh on May 23 while documenting his trek to the Double Decker Root Bridge in Meghalaya’s Nongriat village. Singh later discovered the clip while reviewing his recordings and posted it to Instagram, where it has since garnered over 4.5 million views. The video shows Sonam walking ahead, carrying a polythene bag believed to contain a raincoat, while Raja follows closely behind, shouldering their belongings. Singh wrote in his post that the video was taken around 9:45 a.m. as the couple ascended from the village after spending the night there.
What has made the footage particularly haunting is the context it now carries. Later that same day, Raja was allegedly pushed into a 1,000-foot-deep gorge. His body was recovered on June 2 following an extensive search operation. Singh noted that Sonam was wearing the same white shirt in the video that was later found near Raja’s body, adding that the video might help “connect a few more dots” in the police investigation.
Public reactions to the video have been intense, with many online users expressing horror and heartbreak over what now appears to be a visual precursor to a calculated crime. One comment read, “Raja looked so trusting. Holding the bags, following his wife… and yet she was leading him to his death. It sends chills down the spine.”
According to police sources, Raja and Sonam had checked out of Shipra Homestay between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. on May 23 before setting out on the forest trek. The couple, who had recently married on May 11 in Indore, had arrived in Meghalaya on May 21 for their honeymoon and were reported missing from Sohra (Cherrapunji) on the same day the video was taken.
The investigation took a significant turn when Sonam was arrested a week later from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh. During interrogation, she reportedly confessed to conspiring to kill her husband with the help of her partner, Raj Kushwaha. She also named three additional accomplices: Vishal Chauhan, Anand Kurmi, and Akash Rajput. All four individuals have since been taken into custody by Indore Police.
As the investigation continues, the video shared by Devender Singh has become a focal point of public discourse and a crucial lead in a case that has shaken the conscience of the country. What was meant to be a celebration of new beginnings has instead become the center of a grim narrative of betrayal and premeditated violence.
