– Yusra Firdaus
Mumbai, July 9: On Tuesday, the Mumbai Police arrested Mihir Shah, the primary suspect, after the death of a woman three days earlier in an early-morning hit-and-run case involving a BMW that a Shinde Sena leader’s son purportedly drove.
A police official stated that Mihir Shah was taken into custody close to Mumbai. According to a senior police official, Mihir, 24, who was evading police since Sunday morning, was taken into custody in Virar, close to Mumbai.
Since the accident, Rajesh Shah, the leader of the Palghar Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, and his 24-year-old son have been avoiding arrest. To find him, Mumbai police assembled 14 teams and enlisted the support of the Crime Branch. In addition, a lookout circular (LOC) was issued by the police for him.
According to police, Mihir Shah drove from Kalanagar to Borivali. The BMW, allegedly driven by Mihir Shah, killed 45-year-old Kaveri Nakhwa and seriously hurt her husband Pradeep as they rode their two-wheelers in Mumbai’s Worli neighborhood on Sunday morning.
Palghar Shiv Sena leader Rajesh Shah, Mihir Shah’s father, reportedly assisted his son’s escape and had plans to have the offending vehicle towed away, according to the police.
After their appearance in Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (Sewree) SP Bhosale’s court on July 8, Rajesh Shah and Rajrishi Bidawat were placed in 14-day judicial and 1-day police custody, respectively. However, the judge eventually granted bail to Rajesh Shah.
The 45-year-old victim was first dragged by the car driven by Mihir Shah, the primary accused. Just before the Bandra Worli Sea Link, the other accused, Rajrishi Bidawat, the chauffeur, ran her over a second time before the two fled.
Police submitted CCTV footage in court on Monday, revealing the car’s 1.5-kilometer drag of Nakhwa. On camera, Mihir Shah and Bidawat were seen removing the woman from the bonnet, putting her on the road, and then mowing her down once more as they reversed the car.
“They rushed quickly in the direction of Kalanagar, where the car’s engine died. Next, using Bidawat’s phone, Mihir called his father Rajesh Shah, and informed him of the collision and the car’s stalling. When Rajesh Shah drove up in a Mercedes, he approached Mihir and told him to leave. Rajesh Shah intended to take back the BMW from that location later on, Mumbai Police told the court on Monday.
