BMW hit-and-run accused drank beer while driving after whiskey binge
Mihir Shah (23)—the main accused in the BMW hit-and-run case—has admitted to consuming large amounts of alcohol before the incident early Sunday morning. According to investigators from the Worli police station, Mihir and his friends ordered 12 large pegs of Jack Daniels at a local bar before he crashed his father's BMW into a scooter on Dr. Annie Besant Road. Notably, the legal age for drinking in Maharashtra is 25. The accident resulted in the death of a 45-year-old woman.
Shah's night of drinking detailed by police
After dropping his friends off at their respective homes in his Mercedes that evening, he went home. He then decided to go on a joyride in the BMW and headed for Marine Drive with his driver, Rajrishi Bidawat. Along the way, they stopped at Sai Prasad Bar in Malad and purchased four 500ml cans of Budweiser Magnum. "Mihir accepted that he was drunk at the time of the accident," said an officer involved in the investigation.
Shah expressed regret: Police
Police said Mihir—son of Rajesh Shah former leader of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena—on Thursday expressed remorse for causing the accident, police said. He told police that following the accident, scooterist Pradip Nakhwa fell on the BMW's bonnet, causing the windshield to break. Because it was raining heavily, they assumed the noise was caused by a broken wiper and failed to notice that the man's wife was trapped beneath.
Shah, Bidawat recreate scene at accident spot
On Thursday, Mihir and his driver, Bidawat, were taken to the accident spot by police to recreate the scene. According to a police officer, "They showed us the point near Girgaon Chowpatty where they had swapped seats and Mihir drove till the Worli Sea Link T-junction after the accident." "We have also learnt that after the accident several cars followed them and tried to stop the BMW, but they kept on speeding," said the police officer.
Bidawat remanded to judicial custody, Shah's investigation continues
The Dadar Metropolitan Magistrate court has remanded Bidawat to judicial custody for 14 days, rejecting the police's plea for an extension of police custody. Public prosecutors Ravindra Patil and Bharti Bhosale had requested an extension until July 16, but their request was denied. Meanwhile, the police have asked the forensic department to submit a report on Mihir's blood and urine samples soon. They have also questioned Mihir's girlfriend, whom he was in contact with after fleeing toward Thane on Sunday.
