Mumbai: Mumbai police on Tuesday arrested Mihir Shah, two days after the 24-year-old allegedly rammed his BMW car into a two-wheeler, killing a woman and leaving her husband injured. Mihir, whose father is a leader of the ruling Shiv Sena, had fled after the fatal crash. Mihir was arrested near Mumbai, a police official said. Police said Mihir Shah's father Rajesh Shah took an active part in ensuring his son's escape and also had plans to tow away the offending vehicle. Mihir Shah was allegedly driving the BMW car which fatally knocked down Kaveri Nakhwa (45) and injured her husband Pradeep while the couple was on their two-wheeler in Mumbai's Worli area Sunday morning, police said. Mumbai police had formed 11 teams and also roped in the Crime Branch to nab Mihir Shah. A Look Out Circular (LOC) had also been put out against him, the official said.
Rajesh Shah and the family’s driver Rajrishi Bidawat, who were arrested in the case earlier, were produced in a Mumbai court on Monday and remanded in 14-day judicial and one-day police custody, respectively. Rajesh Shah was, however, later granted bail by the court. A local court on Tuesday extended Bidawat's police custody till July 11. Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena head Eknath Shinde had asserted no one would be spared in the case. "No one, whether rich, influential, or the offspring of bureaucrats or ministers, affiliated with any party, will have immunity as long as I am the chief minister,” Shinde had said.
Rajesh Shah, who was arrested on Sunday, received bail within 24 hours upon paying ₹15,000. The driver, Rajrishi Bidawat, remains in custody. Bidawat, who reportedly spent nearly ₹20,000 at a bar with Mihir Shah before the accident, is accused of being forced by Rajesh Shah to claim he was driving the car at the time of the crash. CCTV footage reveals that the victim, Ms Nakhwa, was dragged for 1.5 km after the collision before the BMW was stopped. Mihir Shah allegedly exchanged seats with Bidawat, pulled the woman’s body out from under the car, and left it on the road. The car was then driven away. In a disturbing twist, the driver reportedly reversed the car to run over Ms Nakhwa’s body again before speeding off, according to the police. This evidence sug### Hunt for BMW Hit-and-Run Suspect Continues in Mumbaigests Bidawat was aware of his actions and helped the other accused, leading to charges of culpable homicide against him.
After the crash, Mihir Shah allegedly made multiple phone calls to his father to plan an escape. He was instructed to abandon the car and take an auto-rickshaw to his partner’s home in Goregaon. He was later picked up by an unknown person. Meanwhile, Rajesh Shah and Bidawat allegedly drove the BMW to Kalanagar, removed the Shiv Sena sticker from the windshield, and attempted to hide the car. They were later arrested by officers from the Worli Police Station. This incident has drawn comparisons to a similar hit-and-run case in Pune, where two software engineers were killed, and the accused’s influential family allegedly attempted to tamper with evidence and mislead the police.