Worli Hit-and-run: Accused Mihir Shah Has Admitted He Was Driving BMW Car at Time of Crash, Say Police

Mihir Shah, the prime accused in the Mumbai BMW hit-and-run case and son of a Shiv Sena politician, has told the police he was driving the car at the time of the crash which killed a woman and injured her husband, officials said on Wednesday citing probe carried out so far.

The 24-year-old accused, who is in police custody till July 16, has claimed he possesses a driving licence, but the police were yet to recover the document, an official said.

The police have so far recorded the statements of 14 people, including Mihir Shah’s mother, sisters and friends, the official said, adding cops are likely to visit the crash spot in Worli, south-central Mumbai, and re-construct the entire crime scene as part of their investigation.

His father Rajesh Shah, a Shiv Sena politician from adjoining Palghar district, is also an accused in the case and currently out on bail.

Mihir Shah was arrested on Tuesday from Thane district, two days after he allegedly rammed his BMW car into a two-wheeler, killing a woman, Kaveri Nakhwa (45), who was riding pillion, and injuring her husband Pradeep in the early hours of Sunday.

After crashing into the couple’s scooter, Mihir Shah was very much aware that the woman was stuck in one of the tyres of the luxury car, but still he drove recklessly and did not stop though motorists passing by frantically signalled and shouted, asking him to halt, said the official.

The horrific accident was captured in CCTV cameras of the police installed at Mela Junction and Bindu Madhav Thackeray Chowk in Worli.

After crossing Bindu Madhav Thackeray Chowk, other motorists asked Mihir Shah to stop the car, but he did not listen to them and continued driving, according to the official.

During interrogation, the accused, whose family chauffeur was sitting besides him, admitted that he was behind the wheel at the time of the crash, but did not tell the police from which point he started driving and till when, he said.

Mihir Shah is not cooperating in the investigation, as per the official.

After the accident, the prime accused, his family members, who stay in suburban Borivali, and his grandfather, who resides in Palghar, left their respective homes and remained untraceable.

In conceal his identity, Mihir Shah, booked by the police for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, among other charges, shaved his beard and trimmed his hair, the official said, adding they were trying to find out if anyone helped him in changing his appearance.

The police will bring Rajrishi Bidawat, the family chauffeur, and Mihir Shah face to face to get more information about the crash and to know the entire sequence of events, he said.

Bidawat, who was accompanying Mihir Shah at the time of the crash, is also an accused in the case.