Mumbai BMW case | Woman dragged for 1.5 km; run over twice: Police to court

The rich son of a politician-businessman on Sunday (July 7) morning dragged a woman under his BMW for 1.5 km in Mumbai after which his driver took the wheels and ran over her again, the police have told a local court.

The chilling details of the alleged crime committed by the now-absconding 24-year-old Mihir Shah and driver Rajrishi Rajendra Singh Bidawat have reportedly emerged after the police examined CCTV footage over a wide area.

Horrific death

The blood-curling accident took place on Sunday morning when the Shah-drive speeding BMW allegedly knocked down Pradik Nakva, 50, and his wife Kaveri, 45, who were on a two-wheeler.

A police report presented to the court on Monday said Mihir sped away even after knowing that he had hit a woman.

The woman got struck underneath the engine bay and the bumper. Mihir then allegedly removed the body and dumped it on a road.

Colluding driver

He then exchanged seats with his driver, who allegedly ran over the body once again before the car disappeared from CCTV view.

The police said this is why the driver, who was not originally driving the BMW, has been charged with culpable homicide.

The driver was "well aware of his actions and helped the other accused", an officer said.

Driver arrested

While the driver has been arrested and is in police custody, Mihir is on the run. His father, Rajesh Shah, was detained on charges of trying to destroy evidence. A court granted him bail.

The police told Metropolitan Magistrate Suhas Bhosale that CCTV footage showed Mihir and Bidawat interchanging their seats.

According to the police, Mihir then called up his father who told him to escape and asked the driver to take responsibility for the accident.

Girlfriend and escape

The police said Mihir and the driver drove up to Bandra, from where the former took another car and escaped. The police caught the driver from that area.

Mihir reportedly went to the house of his girlfriend, who has since been questioned to know if she played a role in his escape.

Investigators say Mihir had partied with four friends in a bar in Juhu till early Sunday before the hit-and-run accident. The police found a bar bill of Rs 18,000 in the car.

Political leanings

Mihir’s father Rajesh belongs to Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction.

On his part, Shinde pledged that “no one, rich, influential or the offspring of bureaucrats or ministers, affiliated with any party, will have immunity as long as I am the chief minister".

Shinde said he was alarmed by the rise in hit-and-run accidents in Maharashtra.

Gross injustice

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

Criminal charges

The accused's influential family in the Pune case allegedly tried to tamper with evidence and mislead the police.

Mihir has been charged with several criminal sections, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, rash driving, giving false information, driving dangerously and not taking the injured to hospital.