Pahalgam massacre: 'Killer had camera strapped to head, filmed hubby's death'
KOLKATA/SURAT:
Pahalgam tragedy
survivors said on Thursday the terrorists recorded the massacre on their bodycams while they went about killing the tourists one after another.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Sohini (37), the widow of Florida-based techie Bitan Adhikary (40), is yet to come to terms with her husband's death. "I can't wipe those nightmarish moments from my memory. The gunman who shot my husband down had a video camera strapped to his forehead. It meant they were recording the acts or may have been streaming it for some persons to watch," she said. Bitan was held at gunpoint and after he kept quiet when asked to reveal his religion, he was asked to recite the first kalma.
When he said he couldn't, admitting that he was a Hindu, he was shot dead.
Recounting the moments at Baisaran Valley before the massacre, Sohini said: "We were having a good time in the valley when we saw some people coming over and asking questions. Suddenly, we heard gunshots. Everyone ducked down as the militants came up to us and asked our identities. An elderly man remained silent. He was shot in the head," she recalled.
"Just when we thought we had survived, my husband was shot. He slumped to the ground. At first, I thought he had fainted and could be revived."
Another survivor, Naksh (10), also revealed that the terrorists recorded the killings on their bodycams. Naksh's father, Shailesh Kalathiya, a banker at SBI's Kandivali branch in Mumbai, was among the 26 victims. The boy, along with his sister, Neeti, and mother, Shital, survived the massacre.
Recounting the horror, Naksh said: "We were hungry, so we went to eat. Suddenly, gunfire erupted, and all ran for their lives. The gunmen were wearing caps fitted with cameras."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Sonam Acted Tired, Walked Behind Husband, Then Yelled "Kill Him": Sources
Sonam Raghuvanshi allegedly conspired to murder her husband, Raja, shortly after their wedding. Raja's wife and her lover hired three friends as contract killers to execute the plan. The murder took place during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, where the killers followed the couple. New Delhi: In a sinister murder case, all it took was five days, a meeting at a cafe, and a one-way honeymoon trip to Meghalaya to kill Raja Raghuvanshi, an Indore-based businessman. The plan was allegedly hatched by his wife, Sonam, and her lover, Raj Kushwaha - who hired his three friends as 'contract killers'. Five days after Raja and Sonam got married, Raj called his childhood friends - Anand Kumri (23), Akash Rajput (19), and Vishal Singh Chauhan (22) - to a cafe in Madhya Pradesh's Indore to plan the killing of Raja. He lured them with money to commit the crime, sources said. On May 20, Raja and Sonam left for their honeymoon in Meghalaya, with a one-way ticket in hand and the three killers following them to the Northeast. Sources said that Raj sent his friends to Guwahati first on May 20, where they ordered an axe online. From there, they went to Shillong and stayed at a hotel near Sonam and Raja's homestay. The newly-wed couple, meanwhile, roamed around the breathtaking hills for three days. But on May 23, Sonam took Raja to a hilly area on the pretext of a photoshoot. The three accused also followed them and initially spoke to Raja in Hindi. Eventually, Sonam pretended to be tired and started walking much behind her husband and the killers. As the five people reached a deserted place, Sonam shouted "kill him" - to the killers, sources said. All this while, Sonam's lover Raj was not in the scene. He did not travel to Meghalaya, but Shillong Police sources suggest he did the planning behind the scenes and was in touch with Sonam. Raja's body was recovered from a deep gorge beneath the Weisawdong Parking Lot at Riat Arliang on June 2, ten days after the brutal crime. A machete, suspected to be the murder weapon, was also recovered. His preliminary autopsy report revealed that he was attacked twice - once each on the back and front of his head. Weeks later, the 24-year-old 'missing' wife was found in an unconscious state on Saturday night at a 'dhaba' in Ghazipur. She was taken to the Ghazipur Medical College for treatment, where she surrendered before the police, and was subsequently taken into custody. The three accused were also arrested in overnight raids.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Chum Darang speaks out against hate towards Northeastern states after Raja Raghuvanshi's murder
Actor Chum Darang is standing strong in support of the Northeastern states amidst the hate and negativity surrounding the states following the Raja Raghuvanshi's murder in Meghalaya. She feels it is unjust to generalise and blame an entire state for a crime. Also read: Meghalaya tourism gets clean chit, travel agents breathe sigh of relief The chatter around the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi in Meghalaya raised concerns for tourism in the state, with several travel agencies facing cancellations. Now, Bigg Boss 18 fame Chum has reacted to the whole stir and defended the Northeast region of India. Taking to her Instagram story, Chum wrote, "This Raja Raghuvanshi case had me shook beyond words. I am sure everyone was worried for the 'wife' after the news of Raja being found. But never did I think she would be behind all this. Breaks my heart." She added, 'Also, I saw a lot of people were blaming the locals, the state, the region, to find out what? I am not saying NE states mein crime hota nehi hai, but sidha logon pe ungli uthana acchi baat nehi hai ((I am not saying the northeast states are crime free, but it is wrong to point fingers at the people). My condolences." Recently, Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, who was on his honeymoon trip to Meghalaya, was found dead days after he and his wife Sonam went missing. According to the Meghalaya Police, it was Raja's wife, Sonam, who orchestrated the murder and allegedly conspired with her boyfriend, Raj Kushwaha, to do so. A total of five arrests have been made in the case, so far – Sonam Raghuvanshi and four men, including Raj Kushwaha, Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Anand Kurmi. While Sonam was arrested from a dhaba in Uttar Pradesh during the early hours of Monday, three out of the four men were arrested from Madhya Pradesh, except Akash Rajput, who was arrested from Uttar Pradesh's Lalitpur.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Woman's body found stuffed inside suitcase in Ghaziabad
The body of a woman in her twenties was found stuffed inside a suitcase in Ghaziabad's Loni border area early Tuesday morning, the police said, adding that they are yet to identify her. The police received information about the body at around 7.30 am through the police control room, Ajay Kumar Singh, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Ankur Vihar, Ghaziabad, revealed. 'The suitcase was found on the canal road that goes from Behta Hajipur to Bandhla,' ACP Singh said. 'The police reached the spot along with the field unit. First, we collected all the necessary evidence from the spot and then opened the suitcase. Inside the suitcase, we found the body of a woman, who is approximately 25 years old, wearing vermilion and toe rings. It appears that the woman is a Hindu,' he added. The police said they have sent the body for a post-mortem examination and are working to identify the woman. 'We will soon find out the reason for her death and nab the accused,' said Singh. In a similar incident on May 30, the Hapur police in Uttar Pradesh had found the body of a 23-year-old woman, Neelesh, a resident of Delhi's Trilokpuri, stuffed inside a suitcase. The police had later arrested her friend, Satendra Yadav, for allegedly strangling her with her scarf and then stuffing her body inside the suitcase. Neetika Jha is a trainee reporter with The Indian Express, Delhi. She covers crime, health, environment as well as stories of human interest, in Noida and Ghaziabad. When not on the field she is probably working on another story idea. On weekends, she loves to read fiction over a cup of coffee (cold coffee if it is summer). The Thursday Murder club and Yellow face were her recent favourites. She loves her garden as much as she loves her job. She is an alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. ... Read More
