Rajesh Shah – the father of Mihir Shah, the main accused in the BMW hit-and-run case – has been suspended by the Shiv Sena of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Shah was a Sena leader from Palghar district.

His son, Mihir, has reportedly admitted to driving the luxury sedan when it rammed into a two-wheeler at 5.30 am Sunday, killing a 45-year-old woman and injuring her husband.

Mihir Shah has, however, denied claims he was drunk, sources told NDTV.

Rajesh Shah had been arrested on Sunday, hours after the collision.

The husband had complained to the police and cops from Worli caught Rajesh Shah and the family driver, Rajrishi Bidawat, in the BMW when Mihir Shah hit the bike, as they were destroying evidence.

The cops also believe Rajesh Shah and Bidawat helped Mihir Shah escape; multiple phone calls were logged between father and son in the immediate aftermath of the collision.

However, Rajesh Shah received bail a day after his arrest – on payment of Rs 15,000.

READ | Sena Leader, Father Of Accused In BMW Hit-And-Run, Gets Bail

Bidawat remains in jail.

All three face several charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The horrific collision in Mumbai’s Worli area took place hours after Mihir Shah and four of his friends were at Juhu’s Vice-Global Tapas Bar. NDTV has accessed a copy of the Rs 18,730 credit card bill.

The bar was sealed Tuesday and portions have been demolished this afternoon.

Apart from serving liquor to underage persons – Mihir Shah is 24 and the minimum drinking age in Mumbai is 25 – the bar was also sealed for serving alcohol without a proper licence and for illegal construction on the property. These illegal bits were demolished.

Shah went into hiding – he may have received help from his mother and two sisters, police had said – after the tragic incident. He was arrested, more than 72 hours later, from Virar near Mumbai.

His mother and sisters have also been taken into custody.

The woman who was killed has been identified as Kaveri Nakhwa, 45. She was travelling with her husband, Pradip, when the BMW driver lost control and hit the two-wheeler.

Horrific details have emerged of the crash, including CCTV footage that indicates Ms Nakhwa was dragged for 1.5 km after the collision before the BMW was stopped.

READ | In Mumbai BMW Case, Woman Dragged For 1.5 Km, Run Over Twice

The police said the footage also indicated Shah then exchanged seats with Bidawat, pulled the woman’s body out from under the car, and left it on the road. The car was then driven away.

The husband spoke to NDTV and lamented the shock death of his wife.

READ | “My Child Wants Mother…”: Husband Of Mumbai Crash Victim

“I ran behind the car for half a kilometre, but could not find the body. I was crying, screaming, but he did not stop. If he had stopped for a second, nothing would have happened,” Mr Nakhwa had said.

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Mumbai/New Delhi:

Mihir Shah – the main accused in the Mumbai BMW hit-and-run case – has admitted that he was driving the luxury vehicle when the accident took place, but claimed he wasn’t drunk, police sources have said.

Mihir Shah – during the police interrogation – told the officials that he had exchanged the seats with his driver Rajrishi Bidawat before it rammed into a two-wheeler at 5.30 am on Sunday.

The 24-year-old- the son of politician Rajesh Shah, a member of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction – was arrested last evening. A total of 12 people, including Mr Shah’s mother and two sisters, were taken into custody.

The woman who was killed in the crash has been identified as Kaveri Nakhwa, 45. She was with her husband, Pradip, who escaped with injuries. The two were reportedly shopping for fish to cook for a family meal.

The police had formed multiple teams to catch Mihir Shah, who was eventually tracked down to an apartment in Virar, which is around 65 km from Mumbai.

Mihir Shah was allegedly driving the BMW – after spending Rs 18,730 at a Juhu bar, where he partied for hours with four friends.

CCTV footage indicates Ms Nakhwa was dragged for 1.5 km after the collision before the BMW was stopped. The police said the footage also showed that Mr Shah then again switched seats with Mr Bidawat, pulled the woman’s body out from under the car, and left it on the road. The car was then driven away.

The Mumbai accident has parallels to the Pune Porsche hit-and-run case when two software engineers riding a two-wheeler were killed.

Mumbai:

Mihir Shah, the 24-year-old son of a Shiv Sena leader and main accused in the Worli hit-and-run case, is missing a day after the accident left a 45-year-old woman dead. Six police teams are looking for him after the investigation revealed that he was at the wheel of the speeding BMW that crashed into a scooter. The crash left Kaveri Nakhawa dead and her husband Pradeep injured.

Rajesh Shah, Mihir’s father and deputy leader of the Eknath Shinde-led Sena in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, and his driver Rajrushi Bidavat will be produced in court today. The two were arrested last evening in connection with the crash that took place early yesterday. Rajesh Shah was arrested after he did not cooperate with the cops in their investigation, it is learnt. 

A lookout circular has been issued against Mihir Shah. When police reached his home, they found it locked. The whereabouts of his mother and sister are not known.

According to the investigation so far, Mihir Shah drank at a bar in Juhu late Saturday night and his driver picked up in the high-end BMW car. At Worli, he insisted that he would drive and took the wheel. The Nakhawas, Koliwada residents who sold fish for a living, were on their way back from Sassoon Dock when the BMW crashed into their scooter. Kaveri Nakhawa was run over and dragged by the BMW as it fled the scene. She was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared her dead.

Mihir Shah, it is learnt, had called his father and told him about the accident. His phone has been off since then.

A case has been registered under the new criminal code Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita under sections relating to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, rash driving and destruction of evidence, among others. Provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act have also been invoked.

Maharashtra Chief Minister and Sena Leader Eknath Shinde has termed the incident “unfortunate” and assured strict action. “Law will take its own course, everyone is equal before law,” he has said.

The victim’s husband, Pradeep, broke down before the media yesterday. “I have two children, what will I do now? These are big people, nobody will do anything, we will suffer,” he said.

Aaditya Thackeray of Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray faction — the rival bloc of the Shinde faction — rushed to the Worli police station yesterday and spoke to the cops. “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.”

Mr Thackeray also said he met the victim’s husband. “We promised him that we would do everything to bring the accused to justice.”

The Worli hit-and-run comes months after and has striking similarities with the Porsche hit-and-run in Pune that left two 24-year-old engineers dead in February. The minor accused in the Pune crash was speeding a Porsche car after a round of drinking. The teen’s father, a prominent realtor, his mother and his grandfather were arrested in the wake of the accident for allegedly attempting to destroy evidence.

A speeding BMW, allegedly driven by a Shiv Sena leader’s son, hit a two-wheeler in Mumbai’s Worli on Sunday killing a 45-year-old woman and injuring her husband. Fish sellers Kaveri and Pradip Nakhva were returning after buying fish from Sassoon Dock when their scooter was hit from behind by the car. 

The couple were flung in the air and landed on the car’s bonnet. While Pradeep managed to jump off it, Kaveri was dragged for 100 metres. She died on the way to the hospital.

The suspect, 24-year-old Mihir Shah, who was driving the car while drunk has been on the run, police said.

Who is Mihir Shah?

Mihir Shah is the son of Rajesh Shah, a leader of the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra’s Palghar district. The politician.

Mihir studied till Class 10 and did not pursue any further education. He joined his father’s construction business based in Maharashtra.

The night before the accident, Mihir was out till late at night drinking in Juhu. In a drunk state, he asked his driver Rajendra Singh Bijawat to take him on a long drive.

After driving from Juhu to Worli, he told the driver he would take the wheel and drive the rest of the way. The accident happened soon after at 5.30 am.

After the crash, the accused allegedly tried to scratch off a Shiv Sena sticker on the car and removed its number plate to avoid the car being linked to his father.

He then left the car in Bandra Kalanagar and fled the scene.

He allegedly called his father to inform him about the crash and then switched off his phone. The police suspect that his girlfriend may have helped in hiding him after the accident.

What happens now?

Mihir’s father Rajesh Shah and his driver, Rajendra Singh Bijawat, were arrested last evening for not cooperating with the police, among other charges, and will be produced in court today.

The car was found registered in his father’s name, Rajesh Shah.

Worli police have registered a case against Mihir for rash driving, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, endangering life and sections of the Motor Vehicles Act.

Four police teams are currently searching for Mihir.