Mumbai hit and run case: Key accused Mihir Shah sent to police custody till July 16

Key accused Mihir Shah being produced in Sewri Court. Pic/ Sameer Sayyed Abedi

A Mumbai court on Wednesday remanded Mihir Shah, the prime accused in the BMW hit-and-run case that killed a woman, in police custody till July 16.

Shah (24) was arrested on Tuesday, two days after being on the run. He allegedly rammed his BMW car into a two-wheeler, killing a woman and leaving her husband injured.

On Wednesday, he was produced before chief metropolitan magistrate (Sewri court) S P Bhosale, who sent him to police custody, reported PTI.

During the hearing, the police told the court it was a "cruel, heartless crime". They said the accused should be given maximum custody as they need to probe who helped him escape and also since the car's number plate is yet to be recovered.

Mihir was allegedly driving the BMW car which fatally knocked down Kaveri Nakhwa (45) and injured her husband Pradeep. The couple was hit while they were on their two-wheeler in Mumbai's Worli area Sunday morning.

According to the police, Kaveri Nakhwa was dragged for around 1.5 km by the speeding car before Mihir pulled it over. He swapped seats with his driver Rajrishi Bidawat and fled in another vehicle, reported PTI. The driver allegedly ran over her while reversing the BMW.

Meanwhile, the accused's father Rajesh Shah was expelled from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Wednesday. Earlier in the week, he was arrested by the police. Rajesh Shah, who is currently out on bail, was sacked from the post of the deputy leader of the Shiv Sena.

Driver Bidawat, who was sitting in the car and allegedly swapped driver's seat with Mihir, is already in police custody till July 11, reported PTI.

Additionally, a portion of the Vice-Global Tapas Bar was demolished on Wednesday by the BMC. The bar had served alcohol to the underage minor hours before the accident took place.

Mumbai hit and run case: Aaditya Thackeray seeks 'bulldozer justice' in matter, meets victim's kin

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Worli MLA Aaditya Thackeray on Wednesday demanded "bulldozer justice" in the fatal Mumbai hit and run case, in which the son of CM Shinde-led Shiv Sena leader Rajesh Shah is an accused, reported the PTI.

Aaditya Thackeray sought to know why a bulldozer is not being run on the house of Mihir Shah, the son of Rajesh Shah, as a punitive action in the case.

"The regime which believes in bulldozer justice must run bulldozer on his house. I would like to see bulldozer justice coming on to Mihir Rajesh Shah's house," said Aaditya Thackeray, as per the PTI.

"Bulldozer justice" refers to demolition of properties of individuals accused of involvement in serious crimes using the powerful motorized machines even before they are pronounced guilty by courts. Several such punitive actions against accused have been reported from BJP-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

Aaditya Thackeray stated that the BMW hit-and-run case, in which Mihir Shah has been charged with culpable homicide, must be treated as murder and dealt with accordingly.

"This case should not be treated as a hit-and-run incident. This is a case of murder, and we demand that it should be treated like that," Aaditya Thackeray had on Tuesday said, according to the PTI.

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena, announced Rs 10 lakh aid for the deceased woman's family.
The Shiv Sena has sacked Rajesh Shah, who hails from adjoining Palghar district, as its deputy leader.

Mihir Shah was arrested on Tuesday, nearly three days after the crash, and is currently in police custody till July 16.