SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Police have sought Instagram’s help in identifying and contacting a travel vlogger, Dev Singh, who captured crucial footage showing the victim Raja Raghuvanshi, his wife Sonam, and the three hired killers trekking uphill on May 23—just hours before Raja was murdered.
East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem confirmed they had initially tried to reach the vlogger directly to record his statement, but after receiving no response, have now formally approached Instagram for assistance.
Dev Singh had posted a video on May 16, showing Sonam walking ahead of Raja on the trail. She was wearing a white t-shirt—later recovered near the crime scene—and carrying a polythene bag reportedly containing a raincoat. In a later video, Singh also recorded the three accused—Anand Kurmi, Akash Rajput, and Vishal Chauhan—following the couple during the same trek.
Sources said Sonam and Raja checked out of their hotel around 5:30 am and began a hike in Cherrapunji, unaware that the killers, staying nearby, had checked out too. By 10 am, after completing much of the climb, they encountered the trio. Sonam reportedly fell back during the walk, leaving Raja ahead with the men.
At 12:30 pm, Sonam phoned Raja’s mother, saying she was tired from trekking. That was the last known call from Raja. An hour later, the group drove to Wei Sawdong Waterfalls. There, the hitmen murdered Raja and dumped his body in a gorge.
Sonam later destroyed Raja’s phone and allegedly disposed of her three devices. She surrendered on June 7, days after Raja’s body was recovered on June 2.