NEW DELHI, July 8: Chilling details have emerged in the Mumbai BMW hit-and-run case, after the police reviewed several CCTV footage of the accident that killed a woman on Sunday morning.
The BMW driven by the 24-year-old son of the chief minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena leader dragged the woman for 1.5 km after hitting her and crushed her under the car wheels twice, the police told a local court on Monday.
Kaveri Nakhwa and her husband Pradik Nakhwa were on a two-wheeler when the BMW driven by Mihir Shah, the son of Shiv Sena leader Rajesh Shah, rammed the scooty and sped away. Rajesh Shah, who was detained on Sunday, was released on bail on Monday, while Mihir Shah is still absconding.
The police said several CCTV footage taken from many locations that the BMW passed through showed Mihir Shah stopped the car after dragging Kaveri Nakhwa for 1.5 km, and then exchanged seats with his driver.
Mihir Shah removed the woman’s body from underneath the engine bay and the bumper, and left the body on the road, the police told the court when it asked why they applied the “culpable homicide” charge.
Mihir Shah’s driver then reversed the BMW and ran over the woman’s body before the car disappeared from CCTV view, the police said. The driver was “well aware of his actions and helped the other accused”, which justified the culpable homicide charge, the police said in court.
The Mumbai accident has parallels to the Pune Porsche hit-and-run case when two software engineers riding a two-wheeler were killed. The accused’s influential family in the Pune case allegedly tried to tamper evidence and mislead the police.
The Mumbai Police have formed 11 teams and deployed the Crime Branch to arrest Mihir Shah. A lookout circular to prevent him from leaving India has also been issued.
The police said after the accident, Mihir Shah and co-accused Rajrishi Bidawat took the BMW to Bandra and abandoned it there. The Shiv Sena leader’s son then took another car and sped towards Borivali in the northern tip of the city.
“He went to the house of his female friend and has been untraceable since. He switched off his mobile phone in Borivali. Considering the possibility of him fleeing Maharashtra, police teams have been sent to nearby states, including Gujarat,” a police officer said.
Police went to his house in Palghar, but found it locked, the officer said. Investigators have said Mihir Shah partied with four friends in a bar in Juhu till the early hours of Sunday, after which he and his driver proceeded towards south Mumbai. The police have found the bar bill of over ₹ 18,000.
Mihir Shah’s father Rajesh Shah came to the accident site within one-and-a-half hours after it happened. He was at the spot at 6.45 am. The hit-and-run accident took place at 5.30 am. Rajesh Shah has been charged for allegedly giving misinformation and destroying evidence, the police said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde said no one would be spared in the case. “No one, whether rich, influential, or the offspring of bureaucrats or ministers, affiliated with any party, will have immunity as long as I am the Chief Minister,” he said.
Mr Shinde said he was alarmed by the rise in hit-and-run accidents in Maharashtra. “It is intolerable that the powerful and influential misuse their status to manipulate the system. Such miscarriages of justice will not be tolerated by my government,” he had said.
(Manas Dasgupta)