Meghalaya honeymoon murder: State govt bans use of private vehicles for tourist rentals

The Meghalaya government has banned renting out private vehicles – both two-wheelers and four-wheelers – for commercial use to ensure tourist safety. The directive comes in the wake of the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case.

The Office of the Commissioner of Transport issued an order in this regard on 13 June 2025. It said that Meghalaya has not implemented the Rent-a-Motorcycle or Rent-a-Cab schemes. Therefore, no individual or agency is legally authorised to offer private vehicles for hire in the state.

NDTV reported that David D. Sangma, the Commissioner of Transport, said that the violators will face severe consequences, including fines, vehicle seizure, and potential imprisonment.

Superintendent of Police (Traffic), East Khasi Hills, K Prasad said: “We have received the order from the Commissioner of Transport and have activated all our ground staff and traffic personnel. Anyone found violating the provisions during checking will face strict action as per the Motor Vehicles Act,” reported NDTV.

“We are inspecting vehicles coming both from outside and within the city. We've deployed our traffic personnel at prime spots such as Mawlai, MES Junction, and tourist viewpoints. If anyone is found hiring or giving private vehicles without valid permits, action will be taken under Sections 182E and 207 of the MVI Act,” Prasad said.

He further stated: “Rapido services not registered under the Transport Department will be covered under this action too.”

Raja Raghuvanshi Murder Case

Raja Raghuvanshi, an Indore-based businessman, was allegedly killed by his wife, Sonam and three men while the couple was on a honeymoon trip to Meghalaya.

Meghalaya Police's Special Investigation Team on Tuesday reconstructed the crime scene in Sohra in the presence of the accused Sonam Raghuvanshi and three others as part of their investigations into the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi.

Superintendent of Police, East Khasi Hills, Vivek Syiem, said that the reconstruction of the crime scene was very successful as the police “got a very clear picture now”.

Detailing the reconstruction of the crime scene, Syiem said that one more machete used to murder Raja Raghuvanshi still needs to be recovered.

“The SIT today visited several places to re-play how the accused did it. We started from the parking lot where they had kept their two-wheelers...We went to the viewpoint, and ascertained who was standing where just before the murder. There were three blows - first by Vishal, second by Anand and the last blow by Akash. We have ascertained that one more machete still needs to be recovered. The accused replayed how they threw the machete. SDRF are trying to recover the second weapon,” he said.

Speaking to the media, Syiem also said: “We have ascertained what happened to Raja's mobile phone. It was damaged by Sonam and then by Vishal. This whole thing was played out, and also their exit from here.”

“We have ascertained that the victim was hit with the weapon...The first hit was by Vishal aka Vicky...When Raja was hit and blood came out, Sonam moved away from the spot. The three accused threw the body down,” he added.