BMW Crash: Mihir Shah was 23, two years below the legal drinking age in Mumbai.
Mumbai:
Mihir Shah – the 23-year-old who allegedly rammed a speeding BMW into a two-wheeler in Mumbai’s Worli and killed a woman, dragging her body along for 1.5 km before stopping – consumed 12 large pegs of whiskey hours earlier, sources told NDTV Thursday morning.
Police sources said Shah, interrogated for a second consecutive day today, was “heavily drunk… and on a joyride” at the time of the horrific collision. The cops said that Shah, though under the influence was “well aware” of a trapped body, as pedestrians were shouting at him to stop.
Shah and his driver, Rajrishi Bidawat – who may have helped the young man dislodge and dump the body by the side of the road, and hide evidence, after the car stopped – were interrogated jointly, the cops said. Both expressed remorse but claimed they did not see the woman’s body.
READ | Mihir Shah, Driver Questioned, Say Sorry For Crash: Sources
Arrested on Tuesday, after evading the police for over 72 hours, possibly with help from his family – Shah earlier confessed to hitting the two-wheeler but denied he had been drinking.
Uncertainty over how drunk Shah was is unlikely to be dispelled by medical tests.
Protocol in suspected drunk driving cases is to administer alcohol tests, but these can be ineffective 12 hours after the last drink. Shah had dodged arrested for three full days.
According to the police, on Saturday night Shah and three friends drank a dozen 60ml glasses of whiskey at the Vice-Global Tapas Bar in Juhu. They left the bar – parts of which were demolished yesterday for serving liquor to Mihir Shah, who is below the legal drinking age – at 11 pm.
The bar has claimed Shah showed them a false ID that said he was 27 years old.
READ | Pub Explains Why Underage BMW Crash Accused Was Served Liquor
Shah, then driving a Mercedes registered to his father, Rajesh Shah, drove his friends to his home in Borivali before setting out – in the early hours of Sunday morning, in the BMW – for Marine Drive for the “joyride”. Cops said the BMW was initially driven by Bidawat, but Shah took over near Girgaon Chowpatty, a small beach on the northern end of Marine Drive, after which the crash occured.
Also, police sources said Shah, after this morning’s interrogation, confessed to a second round of drinks after setting out from Borivali in the BMW. This was before the car reached Malad.
The BMW collided with the two-wheeler at 5.30 am.
After the crash Mihir Shah reportedly exchanged several phone calls with his father and girlfriend before hailing an auto-rickshaw and disappearing from the scene. His father and Bidawat, meanwhile, were busy trying to cover up the collision, including trying to dump the car.
After much outrage, Shah was eventually arrested from an apartment in Virar, which is about 65 km from Mumbai. His mother and two sisters, who may have helped him, were also arrested.
READ | Shinde Sena Leader Suspended 4 Days After Son’s BMW Crash
Shah’s father is a politician who held a local leadership post with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction. On Wednesday, four days after the crash, Rajesh Shah was suspended. Mr Shinde had earlier said “no one… affiliated with any party… will have immunity”.
Shah and Bidawat were arrested late Sunday but the father was got bail 24 hours later.
READ | Sena Leader, Dad Of Accused In BMW Hit-And-Run Case, Gets Bail
The woman who died was 45-year-old Kaveri Nakva. Her husband, Pradip Navka, was fortunate to escape with minor injuries. He has been offered Rs 10 lakh as compensation.
Speaking to NDTV this week, Mr Nakva said the odds were tipped against his family in their search for justice, pointing out Mihir Shah had money and was well-connected.
READ | “They Take Votes, Treat Us Like Garbage”: Husband In BMW Case
“We are poor. Who is there to support us or get us justice? Today, he will be sent to jail. Tomorrow he will be produced in court and then he will get bail. He will be released and then this case will be dragged on. Where will we get the money (to fight the case)? How will we hire a lawyer? Who is there for us?”
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