'Zipline Operator Shouted Allahu Akbar, Then Firing Began': Tourist Recounts Pahalgam Terror 15 Feet Under
Last Updated:
On April 22, terrorists opened fire in Baisaran, a popular tourist spot in Pahalgam, killing 26 people, mostly holidayers from other states
A tourist, who was taking a zipline ride on April 22 in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, recounted how the terror attack unfolded in Bainsaran meadow.
Rishi Bhatt said he got saved because he was taking the zipline ride. He further added that the zipline operator said 'Allahu Akbar" (God is the greatest) and few seconds later the firing began.
'When I took the zipline, one person said Allahu Akbar and moved his head left and right and then the firing started from those sides," Bhatt told CNN-News18.
#Exclusive | CNN-News has accessed a video of a man on zip line ropeway that captured first gunshots of Pahalgam terror attack @Ieshan_W shares more details #PahalgamTerrorAttack #Pahalgam | @ShivaniGupta_5 pic.twitter.com/EmYXZ3TdTv — News18 (@CNNnews18) April 28, 2025
On April 22, terrorists opened fire in Baisaran, a popular tourist spot in the upper reaches of Pahalgam in Anantnag district, killing 26 people, mostly holidayers from other states.
A new video has surfaced showing Bhatt recording his zipline ride in Baisaran meadow while some tourists can be seen running on the ground, seemingly fleeing from terrorists. The man, possibly unaware of the attack at the time, was at a considerable height. Gunshots can be heard in the background.
The 53-second video begins with the zipline operator chanting 'Allahhu Akbar" (God is the greatest) before sending the man on the ride. Initially, everything appears normal, but as he continues, people can be seen running away. Over 100 people were in the Baisaran meadow at the time. One tourist fell while running for his life.
First Published:
April 28, 2025, 20:13 IST
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
9 hours ago
- News18
News18 Evening Digest: Raja Raghuvanshi Hit On Head, Viral Video Of Indore Couple Wedding, & Other Stories
Last Updated: We are also covering: CCTV Footage Captures Indore Couple On Bike, Pakistan Economic Survey, Indian Student Handcuffed, Pinned At US Airport & other top stories. In today's News18 evening digest, we bring to you the latest on Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, Pakistan's economy, Jasprit Bumrah needing 13 wickets against England to break R Ashwin's elite record, and other top stories. Pakistan's debt is at its highest-ever level, Pakistan's Economic Survey released on Monday has revealed. This paints a worrisome situation of Pakistan's finances. Read More Raja and Sonam Raghuvanshi Case: Sonam Raghuvanshi has been arrested on suspicion of murdering her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, days after the Indore couple were reported missing. As the investigation continues, police have arrested four people in connection with the case. Meanwhile, Sonam has alleged that she was abducted and denies committing the crime. Read More A video has been going viral on social media where an Indian student was handcuffed and pinned at a US airport. Kunal Jain, an Indo-American social entrepreneur, took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a photo of the Indian student who was being deported from Newark Airport last night. He said the student was crying and was treated like a criminal by the authorities, as he was handcuffed and pinned to the ground. Read More Jasprit Bumrah will lead India's bowling in the five-match Test series against England, which is set to start on June 20 in Leeds. Bumrah, who tops the bowler's ranking in the five-day format of the game, has picked up 60 wickets for India in 14 Tests played so far against England. Read More Is Keneesha Francis Expecting A Baby With Ravi Mohan? Here's Her Sassy Response Speculation around Ravi Mohan and Keneesha Francis' relationship has been simmering for a while now. Though the duo has refrained from addressing the whispers directly, Keneesha recently took a firm stand against the bizarre rumours swirling online — including those suggesting she's expecting a child. Read More First Published: June 09, 2025, 19:02 IST
News18
10 hours ago
- News18
CCTV Footage Shows Indore Couple On Bike, Sonam Seen On Call Before Raja's Death
Last Updated: The CCTV video shows Sionam and Raja Raghuvanshi riding a wife. Reportedly, the CCTV footage is from the same day when he was murdered. Raja and Sonam Raghuvanshi Case: Sonam Raghuvanshi has been arrested on suspicion of murdering her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, days after the Indore couple were reported missing. As the investigation continues, police have arrested four people in connection with the case. Meanwhile, Sonam has alleged that she was abducted and denies committing the crime. Amid the ongoing investigation, a CCTV video has emerged showing the couple riding a motorbike. The purported video is from 22 May, before Raja's murder. In the video, Raja is seen starting the motorbike as Sonam waits beside him. She appears to be engaged in a phone call at the time. CCTV footage of Shillong hotel –Before the murder on 22 May, Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife Sonam were going out for a bike ride. Then Sonam was seen chatting on her mobile. It is suspected that she was sharing the location with the contract killers. — Ghar Ke Kalesh (@gharkekalesh) June 9, 2025 (News18 could not independently verify the authenticity of the video). The police have also arrested the alleged boyfriend of Sonam in the case. The arrested have been identified as Akash Rajput from Lalitpur, Vishal Chauhan from Indore, and Raj Kushwaha from Indore. Another video has emerged in the case from the day of Sonam and Raja's wedding. The clip shows Raja putting vermilion (sindoor) on Sonam's forehead (a Hindu ritual that signifies marriage). Meanwhile, Sonam has been named the prime accused in her husband's murder, with her alleged lover also involved in the plot, according to sources. Raj Kushwaha, who was reportedly in a relationship with Sonam, has been identified as the mastermind behind the killing. The police also believe that the three other accused-Vicky Thakur, Akash, and Anand-have carried out the murder. First Published: June 09, 2025, 17:18 IST
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
13 hours ago
- First Post
Rejected guide, desperate phone call: How Meghalaya honeymoon murder case was cracked
Sonam Raghuvanshi and three men were arrested for allegedly murdering her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, during their honeymoon in Meghalaya. The 24-year-old woman who was missing since last month was found at a dhaba near Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, ending weeks of search and mystery. But how did police find Sonam, now an accused in the case? read more Indore couple missing in Meghalaya: Sonam Raghuvanshi — wife of the deceased Raja Raghuvanshi — along with three men accused of being contract killers hired to murder her husband during their honeymoon. Image courtesy: X The mystery surrounding the missing Indore couple in Meghalaya has finally been solved. In a major breakthrough, police on Monday confirmed the arrest of Sonam Raghuvanshi — wife of the deceased Raja Raghuvanshi — along with three men accused of being contract killers hired to murder her husband during their honeymoon. Over the last couple of weeks, the case had captured national headlines, with police launching an extensive search operation to find the missing woman. After Raja was found brutally murdered in a gorge in the Sohra region, her family suspected that the couple might have been robbed or kidnapped. But now, the case has unravelled as a cold and calculated murder plot. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But how did the police crack the case? Here's what we know When a rejected local guide became a key witness On the day Sonam and Raja went missing, the couple was trekking through a forested trail, reportedly on their way to Meghalaya's famed double-decker living root bridges in Sohra. On their way, Albert Pde, a local guide in the Nongriat village, had offered his services to newlyweds. The couple declined, choosing another guide. However, what was odd was that Pde saw them again the next day—this time, accompanied by three unknown men, climbing the 3,000 steps back to Mawlakhiat. The search for Sonam Raghuvanshi continues, nearly two weeks after she and her husband went missing in Meghalaya. Image: News18 'I saw the couple with three men on the way up. The men were walking ahead, and the woman was behind them. They were speaking in Hindi,' Albert later told the police. His statement would become central to the investigation, helping police track the suspects. Earlier, an audio clip believed to be the couple's last contact with their family before vanishing also surfaced. In the recording, accessed by India Today, Sonam was heard interacting with her mother-in-law. Sonam describes the tough terrain they were navigating. 'We're in a dense forest, nothing is available here. The climb is steep. I had told him (Raja) not to go, but he never listens. I'm exhausted. The food here isn't good either. It's hard to breathe while walking,' she says in the clip. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD That phone call turned out to be the last time anyone heard from them. Eleven days after they disappeared, a police drone located Raja's decomposed body at the bottom of a gorge near Wei Sawdong Falls. Police then launched a major search operation , with more than 50 to 60 people looking for Sonam, who was still missing. 'Sonam came crying, asked for phone' The search for Sonam came to an unexpected end — not in the forests of Meghalaya, but over 1,000 kilometres away in Uttar Pradesh. She was found near a roadside dhaba in Nandganj, around 40 km from Varanasi. According to the dhaba owner, Sahil Yadav, Sonam looked distraught and asked to use his mobile phone to call home. 'It is a matter of around 1 am last night, when she came to the shop and was crying. She said that she had to call home. I gave her my mobile phone and she dialled. I asked her to sit there,' Sahil told the media, pointing to a chair nearby. #WATCH | Sahil Yadav, owner of Kashi Dhaba, where UP Police found Sonam Raghuvanshi late last night, says "Sonam came here around 1 AM. She wanted my phone to call her family members, and I gave it to her. She started crying when she called her family. I took my phone from her… — ANI (@ANI) June 9, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He added that he immediately called the police. 'She was all alone when she came. I have the number of her family on my phone.' Sonam was taken to Sadar Hospital for a check-up and later shifted to a One Stop Centre for women in distress. The first photo of Sonam since her disappearance surfaced on Monday, showing her wearing a black T-shirt and track pants. According to Uttar Pradesh Police, she looked 'distraught with fever.' UP Director General of Police Rajiv Krishna said Sonam would be handed over to the Indore Police once they arrive in Ghazipur. He clarified that UP Police would not question her. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Meghalaya Police claims 'contract killing' Meanwhile, the story took a dramatic turn with Meghalaya Police accusing Sonam of planning her husband's murder. 'The arrested men have revealed that the wife had hired them to kill Raghuvanshi,' said Meghalaya's Director General of Police, I Nongrang. Sources told CNN-News18 that Raj Kushwaha, who is said to have been in a relationship with Sonam Raghuvanshi, is believed to be the 'mastermind' behind Raja Raghuvanshi's murder. Sources added that the possible reason for the killing was Sonam's relationship with Raj Kushwaha, whom she had known before she got married. They also said Sonam may have booked the honeymoon trip as part of the plan to have her husband killed. Inspector General Dalton P Marak added that Sonam surrendered under pressure and would be brought back to Meghalaya. They said that while three have been arrested, one of the accused is still absconding. Earlier, Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma praised the police for making swift progress. VIDEO | Indore Couple Case: Senior BJP legislator and Meghalaya Cabinet Minister AL Hek says, 'Their whole family is blaming the police of Meghalaya. They're blaming the government of Meghalaya, and particularly, it's very shameful to blame the people of Meghalaya... They have… — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 9, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Within 7 days, a major breakthrough has been achieved… 3 assailants who are from Madhya Pradesh have been arrested, female has surrendered and operation still on to catch 1 more assailant… well done,' he posted on X. Sonam's family claims innocence, demands CBI inquiry Back in Indore, Sonam's family is standing by her and demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the case. Her father, Devi Singh, rejected all allegations and accused the police of spinning a false narrative. 'My daughter reached the roadside eatery, and she was crying and called from there. It was from the dhaba that the police picked her up. I haven't spoken to my daughter yet,' he told PTI. 'The police are lying,' he claimed. 'Why would my daughter do something like this? If she intended to do something like this, why would she go out travelling?" STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD #WATCH | Indore missing couple case | Sonam Raghuvanshi's father, Devi Singh, says, "...My daughter is innocent. I have trust in my daughter. She cannot do this (kill her husband)... They got married with the consent of both families. The state (Meghalaya) Government has been… — ANI (@ANI) June 9, 2025 He alleged that Sonam was abducted and remains under threat. 'The Meghalaya Police have cooked up this story midway. My daughter is innocent,' he said, urging Union Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene. Neighbours in Indore were equally stunned as news of Sonam's arrest spread. 'I can't believe it, she was a well-behaved and educated girl,' one neighbour told ANI. 'The girl may be involved, but we can't claim anything. She was a nice, simple girl. We don't think she would have done it.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD VIDEO | Indore couple case: Here is what Sonam Raghuvanshi's neighbor says: 'I can't believe it, she was a well behaved and educated girl. I don't know if she did it or not. The girl may be involved, but we can't claim anything. She was a nice, simple girl. We don't think she… — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 9, 2025 As the investigation continues, more details of the alleged plot — and what really happened on that remote trail in Meghalaya — are likely to emerge. With input from agencies
