How friend's phone helped track BMW hit-and-run case accused Mihir
Mihir Shah—the main accused in the Mumbai BMW hit-and-run case—was arrested on Tuesday, after being on the run for three days. Mihir—son of Rajesh Shah, leader of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena—allegedly drove the luxury car that hit a two-wheeler in Worli on Sunday, killing a 45-year-old woman and injuring her husband. After almost 72 hours of search, police located Mihir using his friend's phone, which was briefly switched on for 15 minutes.
Mihir, family's phone turned off for 3 days
Mihir had fled after allegedly hitting the woman—Kaveri Nakhwa—early Sunday morning. The police took three days to apprehend him as he and his family had turned off their phones. To recall, Kaveri was riding pillion on a scooter with her husband Pradip Nakhwa from Mazagaon Docks to Worli Koliwada. The collision threw both onto the car's bonnet; Pradip managed to jump off, but Kaveri was dragged 1km by the fleeing car and was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital.
Woman run over twice to mislead police investigation
Police told the court on Monday that Mihir allegedly switched seats with his driver after dragging the victim on the car's bonnet for nearly one-and-a-half kilometers. The driver, Rajrishi Bidawat, then reversed the vehicle and ran over the woman again before fleeing, in an attempt to mislead police. After the incident, Mihir abandoned his BMW near Kala Nagar in Bandra and fled to his girlfriend's house in Goregaon.
Friend switched on phone for 15 minutes
Then, his sister picked him up and drove him to their house in Borivali. From there, Mihir, along with his mother Meena Shah and two sisters Puja and Kinjal, left for a resort in Shahpur, nearly 70km from Mumbai. Mihir was apprehended when he separated from his family and traveled with a friend to Virar, around 65km from Mumbai. His friend switched on his mobile phone for 15 minutes which allowed police to pinpoint their location and arrest Mihir.
Charges and bail granted in hit-and-run case
A total of 12 people, including Mihir's mother and sisters, were taken into custody. Rajesh and Bidawat, who were earlier arrested, were produced in court where they were remanded in 14-day judicial and one-day police custody respectively. Rajesh was charged for allegedly providing misinformation and destruction of evidence but was granted bail the same day.
Bar where accused drank sealed by excise department
Separately, the bar where Mihir was drinking before the accident, Juhu's Vice Global Tapas Bar, has been sealed by the excise department over alleged violations. CCTV footage had showed Mihir leaving the bar with four friends in a Mercedes car hours before the accident. Another footage showed Mihir and Bidawat dragging the victim off the car's bonnet, placing her on the road, and then running her over again.
