Mumbai:
Mihir Shah – the main accused in the Mumbai BMW hit-and-run-case – has been sent to police custody till July 16. Shah was arrested yesterday evening after being on the run for over 72 hours.
The son of suspended Shiv Sena leader Rajesh Shah, Mihir Shah has reportedly admitted to driving the luxury sedan when it rammed a two-wheeler in Worli at 5.30 am Sunday, killing a 45-year-old woman and injuring her husband. However, Shah, 24, denied reports he was drunk at the time.
The police had sought “maximum possible custody” of Mihir Shah, arguing he tried to destroy evidence after the accident and evade arrest by altering his appearance; sources said Shah exchanged multiple phone calls with his father and partner after the collision to plan his escape.
This included taking an auto-rickshaw from the scene of the collision to his partner’s home in Goregaon, where he spent two hours, and then jumping to a friend’s apartment in Virar.
Authorities believe Mihir Shah was helped by his mother and two sisters, both of whom have also been arrested. Shah’s partner may be summoned for questioning and could also be detained.
The police told the court it needs custody of Mihir Shah to work out how he managed to evade arrest for over 72 hours and identify all those, including family members, who helped him.
Shah also needs to be questioned, the police said, about the vehicle’s ownership details.
The cops also said Shah cut his hair short and trimmed his beard.
This, the police said, underlines the serious nature of the crime and the allegations against Mihir Shah, and insisted, “Hence an investigation is required. The number plate (of the BMW, which reportedly broke on impact and was discarded by Shah) has not been found.”
“The accused cut his hair and beard… it was an attempt to mislead the police.”
Shah’s lawyers countered the prosecution by pointing out the cops already have substantial material, including the matching statements of the main accused and the family driver.
Rajrishi Bidawat, the driver, was in the car at the time of the collision. He had reportedly been told (by the father, Rajesh Shah) to hand control of the car to Mihir Shah 90 minutes before the crash.
And, on the question of the missing number plate, the defence said the cops had CCTV footage.
“Just for cutting hair and beard… this is not grounds to send him to custody,” the defence said.