 "A makeover, 40 calls to girlfriend: How Mihir Shah evaded police after Mumbai BMW hit-and-run tragedy")
The BMW hit-and-run case in Mumbai continues to make news. On Wednesday (July 10), the main accused — Mihir Shah — was sent to police custody until July 16, a day after he was arrested. Simultaneously, the 24-year-old’s father, Rajesh Shah, who is a politician belonging to the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) has been sacked as the party’s deputy leader.
The prosecution in court, seeking Mihir’s custody , said that he had committed a “cruel heartless crime”, and they wanted to probe who helped him when he was on the run for more than two days after the early Sunday morning accident. It was on Sunday that Mihir allegedly rammed his BMW car into a two-wheeler in Mumbai’s Worli area, killing 45-year-old Kaveri Nakhwa, who was riding pillion with her husband Pradeep Nakhwa. According to police, Kaveri was dragged for 1.5 km before the accused stopped the car.
The police revealed to the court that Mihir, who was arrested almost three days after allegedly perpetrating the crime, took several steps to evade arrest. Here’s what we know so far.
Makeover to disguise himself
According to the police, Mihir Shah changed his look in an attempt to evade arrest following the tragedy on Sunday morning.
As per eyewitness accounts, Mihir was sporting a beard as he left a bar in Juhu on Saturday night. However, when cops arrested him from Virar on Wednesday, he was clean-shaven.
“As he went into hiding, he thought we had his latest picture in which he had a fully grown beard. So to mislead us and also to evade arrest, he shaved off his beard and also got a haircut assuming that we would not be able to recognise him,” an officer told Indian Express, adding, “We are trying to identify the barber as we want to record his statement as well.”
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe prosecution in court pressing for the maximum possible period said that it was necessary to find out who helped him change his look.
Additionally, the police also needed to probe if Mihir Shah tried to destroy evidence by contacting anyone after the incident.
However, Mihir Shah’s lawyer, Aayush Pasbola, argued that shaving off his beard and cutting his hair can not be a ground for asking for his custody and told the court that the accused in the case had already been confronted and their stories had aligned.
Multiple calls to girlfriend
Mihir Shah after allegedly ramming into the two-wheeler at Mumbai’s Worli area also made around 40 phone calls to his girlfriend, cops have revealed. The police have said that Mihir spoke to his girlfriend over 40 times before abandoning the car, hailing an auto and heading to her house. The authorities have said the girlfriend may now be detained for questioning.
According to authorities, after Mihir and his driver Rajrishi Bidawat, rammed into the two-wheeler, the duo went to Kala Nagar in Bandra, where they abandoned the car and took off the number plate to avoid being caught.
Amid all this, he made 40 phone calls to his girlfriend, it is said.
Following this, the 24-year-old took an auto to his girlfriend’s house in the Mumbai suburban area of Goregaon. According to the police, he “rested” there for two hours while the girlfriend informed Mihir’s sister about the accident. His sister then went to Goregaon and then took him to their house in Borivali.
From Borivali, Mihir’s mom, two sisters and a friend left for a resort in Shahpur, which is approximately 70 km from Mumbai. They hid there while the police kept looking for Mihir. On Monday night, Shah left for the family’s house in Virar and, the next morning, Avdeep turned on his phone for 15 minutes, revealing his location. This crucial mistake led to Shah’s arrest.
Mother, sisters detained
The authorities have detained Mihir’s mother and two elder sisters for allegedly helping the 24-year-old to evade arrest. His mother, Meena, and sisters — Pooja and Kinjal — also fled as they were scared of a mob attack and police interrogation, revealed the cops.
“We have recorded their statements and are trying to ascertain their exact role. They have claimed they went into hiding as they were scared of being attacked by a mob while the investigators would have also detained them and conducted sustained interrogation,” an investigator has been quoted as saying.
A senior police officer also added that his grandparents, who stay in Palghar, are also untraceable since the incident.
The Shiv Sena (Shinde) has also sacked Rajesh Shah as the party’s deputy leader. A one-line notice by Shiv Sena secretary Sanjay More said Rajesh Shah has been relieved from the post of the party’s deputy leader. Shah, however, continues to be a member of the Shiv Sena.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also assured strict action against the guilty in the BMW case and announced Rs 10 lakh aid for the victim’s family. “I have given instructions that whoever the culprit in the hit-and-run case is will not be spared. Strict action will be taken,” he said.
The incident
On Saturday, Mihir’s evening began at the Tapas bar in Juhu, where he partied with friends. As per a Times of India report, Mihir and two of his friends consumed 12 large pegs of whiskey. Around 1.30 am, they then left the bar, heading towards Borivali to drop off his friends. Then his driver, he went to Marine Drive for a joy ride.
“We have learnt that it was around 3.30 am that Mihir and his driver left for Marine Drive. While returning, he insisted on driving and subsequently rammed into the two-wheeler on Dr Annie Basant Road in Worli,” an official told Indian Express.
While 45-year-old Kaveri died, her husband, Pradeep, has survived with injuries.
The authorities say that it was after the accident that Mihir interchanged his seat with his driver Rajrishi Bidawat. Bidawat then ran over the woman’s body a second time, after which Shah and he drove to Kala Nagar where they planned to abandon the vehicle.
The police have also revealed that they plan on confronting the two — Bidawat and Mihir — face-to-face as there is a lot of discrepancy between the facts stated by them due to which it is necessary to conduct a thorough interrogation and confront them.
With inputs from agencies
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