BMW case: Mihir Shah, driver questioned together; cops recreate crime scene

The main accused in the Mumbai BMW hit-and-run case, 23-year-old Mihir Shah, and his driver were questioned together by the police on Thursday (July 11), according to media reports.

The police also recreated the sequence of events that resulted in the death of a 45-year-old woman, Kaveri Nakva, after the scooter she was travelling on was rammed by the car driven by Mihir Shah.

Mihir Shah was arrested by the police in Thane on Wednesday (July 10) after absconding from the scene of the crime and evading arrest for two days.

Did not know about body stuck under car: Mihir, driver

Mihir and his driver, Rajrishi Bidawat, reportedly told the police that they were not aware that the woman was stuck under their car as they drove away after hitting the scooter. Sources in the police also said that both admitted to their “mistake”, and Mihir “regretted his actions”.

However, the police are of the opinion that Mihir continued to drive the vehicle despite knowing the woman was stuck under his car and other motorists frantically signalling to him and telling him to stop.

CCTV footage

The police said that footage from several CCTV cameras showed the BMW driving on with the woman stuck under its bonnet. After dragging the woman for about 1.5 km, Mihir stopped the car. He removed the woman’s body from under the car and left it on the road, and exchanged seats with his driver. The driver reversed the car over the woman’s body and then sped away.

Fake identity card

Mihir Shah, the son of the sacked Shiv Sena leader Rajesh Shah, is also facing allegations by the management of the pub he had visited before the accident of giving them a fake identity card that showed his age as 27 years.

According to official records, Mihir is 23 years old. The minimum drinking age is 25.