Mumbai BMW crash accused Mihir Shah admits he was driving, sent to 6 days police custody

MUMBAI, (IANS): A Mumbai court on Wednesday sent BMW crash prime accused and senior Shiv Sena leader's son Mihir R. Shah, who has admitted that he was driving the car on July 7 when it rammed into a two-wheeler, killing fisherwoman Kaveri P. Nakhwa, to police custody till July 16.

Mihir Shah, 24, who was absconding for nearly 60 hours after the accident, was produced by the Worli police before Sewri Court Chief Metropolitan Magistrate S. P. Bhosale and after a brief hearing, was sent to police custody till next Tuesday.

Seeking his police custody, the public prosecutor said the accused should be sent to maximum custody to enable investigation of the "cruel and heartless crime", how he escaped and who helped him besides recovering other evidence like the car’s missing registration number plate.

The police also want to probe who is the owner of the BMW car involved in the crash, and how the deceased was dragged for almost 1.5 km on the bonnet of the speeding vehicle before the accused stopped it.

He then jumped out of the car after his driver Rajrishi Bidawat – currently in police custody till July 11 – and fled in another car, the details of which are not yet known.

Since that morning, Mihir R. Shah remained absconding till he was nabbed on Tuesday afternoon from Virar in Palghar) and brought to Mumbai.

Earlier, his father and Shiv Sena's Palghar Deputy Leader Rajesh Shah - who was abruptly removed from his high post on Wednesday morning – was arrested, sent to 15 days’ judicial custody and then granted bail on Monday.

Bidawat has been sent to police custody till Thursday (July 11), in the sensational case that created a political storm with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi slamming the MahaYuti government and accusing it of "complicity" in the case. Several top functionaries including Varsha Gaikwad, Sachin Sawant, Aaditya Thackeray, Kishori Pednekar, Sachin Ahir and others visited the Nakhwa family and assured them of full support in their quest for justice.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar, of the Congress, charged the government with trying to cover up the whole issue and demanded a SIT probe into the whole case. "If the accused had been arrested in time, his blood report would have shown he was drunk… But they tested his blood samples twice after no alcohol was detected, they arrested and produced him before the court," he contended.

"What punishment will be given to the accused and his family for killing the woman… The accused should be charged with murder. Will the government run a bulldozer on Mihir’s home? Leave him in the Worli fishing village and see the people’s ire," said Thackeray Jr.

Demanding why Mihir was not arrested for 60 hours, SS-UBT MP Sanjay Raut alleged that he was deliberately kept hidden to remove the effects of alcohol and drugs before he was brought out.

Assuring full justice to the victim, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakhs for her family on Wednesday and removed Rajesh Shah from the post of Shiv Sena Deputy Leader of Palghar.