The probe into the BMW hit-and-run case has found that victim Kaveri Nakhwa was run over by accused Rajrishi Bidawat just before Bandra Worli Sea Link after being dragged there by main accused Mihir Shah as the two fled, an official said.
The official further said Mihir Shah's father and Palghar Shiv Sena leader Rajesh Shah took active part in ensuring his son's escape and also had plans to tow away the offending vehicle. Mihir Shah was allegedly driving the BMW car which fatally knocked down Kaveri Nakhwa (45) and injured her husband Pradeep while the couple was on their two-wheeler in Mumbai's Worli area Sunday morning, police said. Bidawat was the other occupant in the luxury car.
CCTV footage produced by police in court during the day showed Kaveri Nakhwa being dragged by the car for 1.5 kilometres. Footage showed Mihir Shah and Bidawat pulling the woman off the bonnet, placing her on the road and then mowing her down again while reversing the luxury vehicle.
"After she was dragged from Worli, Mihir and Bidawat stopped the car just before BWSL and removed the woman who had got entangled in the vehicle's tyre. Bidawat then took the driver's seat and ran the car over the victim while reversing. They then fled," the official said.
"They sped towards Kala Nagar where the vehicle's engine stalled. Mihir then called his father Rajesh Shah from Bidawat's phone and told him about the accident as well as the car stalling. Rajesh Shah arrived at the spot in a Mercedes, spoke to Mihir and asked him to escape. Later, Rajesh Shah planned to tow the BMW from there," he said.
However, since Kaveri Nakhwa's husband Pradip and an eyewitness had alerted police, a patrolling team reached Kalanagar and apprehended Rajesh and Bidawat, the official said. Meanwhile, Mumbai police formed 11 teams and also roped in the Crime Branch to nab Mihir Shah.
A Look Out Circular (LOC) has also been put out against him, the official said. As per police, from Kalanagar, Mihir Shah took a car to Borivali in the northern tip of the metropolis.
"He went to the residence of his female friend and has been untraceable since. He switched off his mobile phone in Borivali area. Considering the possibility of him fleeing Maharashtra, police teams have been sent to nearby states, including Gujarat," the official said.
Police have also visited his residence in Palghar but it was locked, the official added. As per the probe so far, Mihir was partying 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 also recovered the bar bill of Rs 18,000 and are verifying it, while CCTV footage of the bar is also being examined.
"After the accident, Mihir's father and co-accused Rajesh Shah came to the spot within one-and-half hours. He was at the spot at 6:45am. The hit-and-run incident took place at 5:30am. Rajesh Shah has been booked for allegedly providing misinformation and destruction of evidence," the official said.
Rajesh Shah and Bidawat were produced in the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (Sewree) SP Bhosale earlier in the day and were remanded in 14-day judicial and one-day police custody, respectively. Rajesh Shah was, however, later granted bail by court.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena head Eknath Shinde asserted 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.
In a statement, Shinde said he has asked police to handle hit and run incidents involving powerful and influential persons with seriousness and ensure justice is served. Shinde said he was deeply alarmed by the rise in hit-and-run incidents 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 said.
The lives of ordinary citizens are precious to us. I have directed the state police department to handle these cases with the utmost seriousness and ensure justice is served. We are implementing stricter laws with harsher penalties for hit-and-run offenders," Shinde said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray, who represents the Worli assembly constituency, in a post on X on Sunday said, "I will not go into the political leanings of Shah, the accused of the hit and run, but I hope the police will act swiftly to catch the accused and bring him to justice. Hopefully there will be no political refuge by the regime.