Worli hit-and-run: Shiv Sena leader asked driver to take the blame for son, say cops

MUMBAI: A day after his son Mihir Shah allegedly crashed his BMW car into a scooter in Worli, injuring the rider Pradeep Nakhawa, 50, and killing his wife Kaveri, 45, who was riding pillion, while the Shiv Sena functionary from Palghar, Rajesh Shah, was granted bail by a metropolitan magistrate court on Monday, investigating officers at Worli police station revealed how he was involved in a cover-up operation to protect his 24-year-old son.

After ramming into the two-wheeler, Mihir dragged Kaveri, stuck between the tyre and bumper, for around 2.5 kilometres. Thereafter, Shah’s driver Rajrishi Bidawat took over the wheel, reversed the vehicle and before driving ahead ran over her once again. While the court sent Bidawat to police custody for a day, Mihir is still at large.

According to police, soon after the incident, Bidawat called Shah to inform him about the accident. “Shah told Bidawat to take responsibility for the accident and asked Mihir to flee from the spot. After their SUV broke down near Kala Nagar, Bandra, Mihir fled the scene. By the time Shah arrived in another BMW, he found the driver seated in the broken-down car,” said a police officer.

Shah then called a towing van but just as it was ready to haul the vehicle away, Worli police teams reached the spot, tracking CCTV footage, and took both Shah and Bidawat in custody. The police officer added, after the accident Mihir went to a friend’s house in Goregaon, where he slept for some time and was later taken away to Borivali by his sister Pooja. The house is now locked.

“We have formed 14 teams to search Mihir and collect other evidence. We have recorded statements of his three friends who had accompanied him to the Juhu restaurant on Sunday evening where they ran up a bill of ₹18,700. Mobile phones of all the members of Shah family and close relatives were found switched off after the accident,” said the officer.

Shah was continuously in touch with Mihir, whose phone is now switched off.

Metropolitan magistrate Suhas Bhosale first remanded Shah to judicial custody and after he moved bail plea, granted him provisional cash bail on payment of ₹15,000 on Monday.

While granting bail, the court observed that the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder (section 105) applied in the case was not applicable to him and that other sections which applied in the case (238 for causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita attracted far lesser punishment.

On Monday afternoon, after Shah and Bidawat were produced before the court when the police sought their custody remand, public prosecutor Bharati Bhosale informed the court: “It’s a heinous crime. The deceased is a fisherwoman who had gone to bring fish from Sassoon Dock in Colaba with her husband, Pradeep. While returning, the BMW car hit their two-wheeler from behind.”

She said while Pradeep managed to jump off the bonnet of the car, Kaveri’s clothes became entangled in the vehicle and though Pradeep shouted, asking the car driver to stop, he kept on speeding and fled the spot subsequently. Pradeep then took a taxi and tried to chase the vehicle in vain. He then approached Worli police station and reported the incident.

“The woman was dragged from Ceejay House at Dr Anne Besant Road to Worli Sea Link T-Junction. We have found that the vehicle was driven by Mihir Shah; he did not help, nor did he stop the vehicle after hitting the scooter and instead dragged the woman. After that, Mihir stopped the car and when Bidawat took over the wheel, he ran over the deceased again, which can be seen in the CCTV footage,” she added.