A Mumbai court on Wednesday remanded Mihir Shah, the 24-year-old son of a Shiv Sena politician, to police custody until July 16. Shah, accused in the BMW hit-and-run case, was apprehended by Mumbai Police after evading capture for over 72 hours.
Mumbai Police, seeking Shah’s custody, informed the court that they needed to identify all his contacts during his flight from the law following the accident that claimed the life of Kaveri Nakhwa. The police also noted that Shah’s mobile phone has not yet been recovered, a crucial piece of evidence in their investigation.
The incident happened when the luxury car driven by Mihir Shah allegedly crushed a two-wheeler in the Worli area of south-central Mumbai early Sunday morning. The collision resulted in the death of Kaveri Nakhwa, 45, who was riding a pillion, while her husband Pradeep survived with injuries.
Following the incident, Shah fled the scene and went to his girlfriend’s residence in suburban Goregaon. Police reports indicate that Shah had been partying with friends at a bar in Juhu before setting off for South Mumbai in the early hours, accompanied by his driver, Rajrushi Bidawat.
The BMW was spotted on Marine Drive around 4.30 am, with Shah behind the wheel and Bidawat in the passenger seat. The collision occurred shortly after, leading to the fatality and sparking a manhunt that ended with Shah’s arrest from Virar on July 9.
Earlier on Tuesday, Pradeep Liladhar Nakhwa, the husband of Kaveri Nakhwa, demanded strict punishment for the 24-year-old accused who was driving the car.
Speaking to reporters at the Worli police station, Pradeep Liladhar Nakhva, 50, husband of the victim Kaveri Nakhwa, said, “Had the car driver shown some humanity and stopped the car, my wife would have been alive today. When the car hit our scooter from behind, I fell on the car’s bonnet, and Kaveri fell on my back, not sustaining grave injury initially.”
“We were shouting ‘Stop! Stop!’ to the person behind the wheels. But the vehicle sped away with Kaveri on the bonnet. It dragged my wife from Ceejay House to the Sea Link. I saw him; he was a young, skinny man with a beard and dense hair,” Pradeep said.
Pradeep took a taxi looking for his wife, but as he couldn’t find her anywhere, he went to the Worli police station. There, he found out that the police had taken her to the Nair hospital from the near Sea Link entry point (from Worli side).
“My wife will never come back. But he should get the strictest punishment,” said the husband.
First Published: Jul 10 2024 | 5:49 PM IST