The husband of Kaveri Nakhwa, who lost her life in the Worli hit-and-run case, has expressed his anguish over the delayed arrest of the accused, Mihir Shah. Pradeep Nakhwa questioned the integrity of the investigation and the Maharashtra government's handling of the case.


“He was arrested after three days, what does this mean? If he wasn't under the influence of alcohol or drugs, why did he go into hiding?” Pradeep Nakhwa lamented. “Why was he absconding for 3 days? You abandoned the vehicle on the way and broke the number plate before running away. You don't even go home, where did you? If he were innocent, why did you go into hiding? Tell us. Now after 3 days, there won't be any traces of alcohol in his body and he will have 20 lawyers with him. We are poor, who will give justice to us? Today he went to jail, the day after tomorrow he will be produced in court and he will get bail. He will go scott-free. The case will go on and on and everything will cool down. What will we do? From where will we arrange money and a lawyer?”






Nakhwa criticised the top leaders of the Maharashtra government, saying, “These party leaders will do nothing, this is the son of their leader only. He is a big person who can buy anyone...who is there on our side? Did Devendra Fadnavis or Eknath Shinde come to our house to know what happened? Did Ajit Pawar come? They all have become blind in greed for power. For you power is everything, public is nothing. They come to meet the public only to beg for votes and then they forget...for them, we public are like garbage and waste material.”


"You just say you work for the poor, but what did you do for the poor? You launched a 'ladli behena Yojana', today your 'ladli behena' is dead, she was dragged away," he remarked.


The incident, which occurred on Sunday, involved 24-year-old Mihir Shah, son of Shiv Sena politician Rajesh Shah. According to police, Mihir was driving a BMW when he rammed into a two-wheeler, killing Kaveri Nakhwa and injuring her husband, Pradeep. CCTV footage revealed the horrifying details of Kaveri being dragged for 1.5 km by the speeding car before Mihir and his driver, Rajrishi Bidawat, fled the scene, news agency PTI reported.


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Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray echoed this sentiment, urging authorities to treat the incident as murder. “I have demanded that Mihir Rajesh Shah- the accused, must be tried for murder and not just hit and run. Why was he allowed to be on the run for 60 hours? Who was shielding him?” Thackeray stated.






NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Clyde Crasto demanded stringent action against Mihir Shah. “Strict action must be taken against this man because he mercilessly drove over the poor lady and killed her. All laws applicable in such cases should be applied on Mihir Shah,” Crasto said.






Meanwhile, NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad criticised the delay in Mihir’s arrest, questioning the thoroughness of the investigation. “After 60 hours, what will they (police) find in his blood? Will they find traces of alcohol or drugs?” Awhad asked.


"In these 60 hours, he must have sent his blood for testing in every two hours, and when the lab cleared him, what will the police do when his reports will be all clear," he added.






Mumbai Congress President and Lok Sabha Varsha Gaikwad visited Pradeep Nakhwa, offering her support to the grieving family.






Mihir Shah was arrested from Virar on Tuesday, two days after the incident. His mother and two sisters were brought in for questioning, along with 10 others, as police investigated further, PTI reported. Rajesh Shah, Mihir’s father, is accused of facilitating his son's escape and attempting to tow away the BMW to cover up the crime.


In a related development, the state Excise Department has sealed a bar in Juhu that served alcohol to Mihir, who is below the legal drinking age of 25. This action was ordered by the district collector for violating state regulations, according to PTI.


Previously, the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde, assured that no one would be spared, regardless of their influence or political connections. “No one, whether 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 asserted.