Mihir Shah's Girlfriend in Hot Water After He Made 40 Calls to Her Post BMW Crash

Mumbai: The main accused in the Worli hit-and-run case Mihir Shah allegedly called his girlfriend 40 times after he allegedly rammed his BMW leaving one dead and one injured. Shah allegedly rang her up before he abandoned his luxury car and headed to her house. As per the latest development, cops are likely to detain and interrogate Shah's girlfriend.  

Mihir Shah Gets Police Custody Till July 16

A court, on Wednesday, remanded the 24-year-old Shah in police custody till July 16.

Mumbai Police arrested Shah on Tuesday, two days after one of his friends switched on his mobile phone. Shah accused of ramming his BMW car into a two-wheeler, allegedly killed a woman and left her husband injured. On Wednesday, he was produced before chief metropolitan magistrate (Sewri Court) SP Bhosale, who sent him to police custody. 

It Was A Cruel, Heartless Crime: Mumbai Police Tells Court

During the hearing, the police told the court it was a "cruel, heartless crime". They said the accused should be given maximum custody as they need to probe who helped him to escape and also since the car's number plate is yet to be recovered.

Mihir 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.

Shah's Mother, Sister Being Quizzed
Shah, who managed to evade the police since Sunday morning, was arrested from Virar near Mumbai. If sources are to be believed the mobile phone of a friend of Shah played a crucial role in leading the police to his location. 
Meanwhile, Mihir's mother and two sisters were brought to Mumbai for questioning from Shahapur in Thane district. They are being quizzed along with 10 others. The police stated that Mihir Mihir's politician father Rajesh Shah actively ensured his son's escape and had plans to tow away the BMW car after the accident. 

How Police Nabbed Mihir Shah After 72 Hours 

It took the Mumbai Police three days to catch the accused as Shah, who was reportedly staying at the Shahapur Resort with friends and family, had turned off his mobile phone, making it challenging for authorities to track his whereabouts, sources told Republic World.  

Despite initial difficulties in locating Shah due to the phone being switched off, sources revealed that Shah had been communicating with several individuals using a friend’s phone from Palghar and Borivali. Last night, Shah, accompanied by two friends, left Shahapur for Virar without informing his family.

In a crucial breakthrough, Shah’s friend turned on his mobile phone for just 15 minutes before switching it off again. The phone, which was under police surveillance, allowed authorities to pinpoint Shah's location. The phone’s brief activation was enough for the police to trace it to Virar.

Acting on this information, a team from the Worli Police Station was dispatched to Virar. Upon arrival, they detained Mihir Shah. Simultaneously, the remaining 12 individuals associated with Shah were nabbed at Shahapur. 

Mihir's Father Sacked As Deputy Leader in Shinde-Led Sena

Mihir's father, Rajesh Shah, is a Shiv Sena politician from the adjoining Palghar district. According to the police, he actively ensured Mihir's escape after the crash. Rajesh Shah, who is currently out on bail, was on Wednesday sacked from the post of the deputy leader of the Shiv Sena. 

A one-line notice by Shiv Sena secretary Sanjay More said Rajesh Shah had been relieved from the post of the party’s deputy leader. Shah, however, continues to be a member of the Shiv Sena. Driver Bidawat, who was sitting in the car and allegedly swapped driver's seat with Mihir, is already in police custody till July 11.

Shah Allegedly Ran Over His BMW Over Victim While Reversing

According to the police, Kaveri Nakhwa was dragged for around 1.5 km by the speeding car before Mihir pulled it over, swapped seats with his driver Rajrishi Bidawat and fled in another vehicle. The driver allegedly ran over her while reversing the BMW.

After being on the run since the accident, Mihir was finally arrested on Tuesday.

No Question of Supporting Anyone, Assures CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said whoever is guilty in the BMW hit-and-run case will not be spared and strict action will be taken against them, amid criticism that the key accused is the son of his party leader.

The CM said there was no question of supporting anyone and no one would be spared.

“Whoever is guilty will not be spared; strict action will be taken against them," Shinde told reporters here.

“We stand by the family of the victim. We will provide legal and financial assistance to the aggrieved family," he said.

(with PTI inputs)