BMW hit-and-run accused Mihir Shah sent to 14-day judicial custody
Mihir Shah, the main accused in the Worli BMW hit-and-run case, was on Tuesday sent to judicial custody by a Mumbai court until July 30. The 24-year-old son of a Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) politician was arrested for allegedly ramming his BMW into a two-wheeler, killing 45-year-old Kaveri Nakhwa and injuring her husband Pradeep Nakhwa. The incident occurred at 5:30am on July 7 at Mumbai's Anni Besant Road, where the BMW hit the Nakhwas' two-wheeler from behind.
Accused fled the scene with victim entangled in car
According to the police investigation, after the collision Mihir allegedly sped towards the Bandra Worli Sea Link with the woman on the car's bonnet, later becoming entangled in the wheels for over 1.5 kilometers. A Mumbai Police official claimed Shah was under the influence of alcohol when the accident took place. The police even recreated the accident scene for more information and confronted Mihir with his family driver and co-accused, Rajrishi Bidawat.
Accused admits to drinking habit, misleading investigators
Bidawat was in the car at the time of the accident, and police allege he swapped seats with Mihir under instructions from Mihir's father, Rajesh Shah. During interrogation, Mihir admitted to being a habitual drinker, NDTV reported. He also shaved his beard and got a haircut to mislead investigators. According to Mumbai Police, Mihir drove the car himself from Girgaon to the sea link entry point at Worli, where the incident occurred.
Mihir evaded police for three days
Mihir managed to evade police for three days following the accident until he was located in an apartment in Virar, approximately 65km from Mumbai. The police were able to trace him when one of his friends turned on his phone for 15 minutes. Separately, the license of Sai Prasad Bar in Malad, where Mihir purchased four bottles of beer before the accident, has been temporarily suspended for alleged violations.
Juhu bar demolished for serving underage Mihir
Police said Mihir was "heavily drunk... and on a joyride" at the time of the collision. Before visiting the Malad bar, Shah and his friends had consumed a dozen 60ml glasses of whiskey at the Vice-Global Tapas Bar in Juhu. This bar was later partially demolished for serving liquor to Mihir, who is below the legal drinking age of 25 in Maharashtra. The bar claimed that Minhir showed them a false ID stating he was 27 years old.
