Mumbai Police have arrested Shiv Sena leader Rajesh Shah after his son Mihir Shah's speeding BMW car hit a two-wheeler on Sunday, killing a woman. The family's driver, Rajrishi Rajendrasingh Bidawat, who was present during the accident, has also been taken into police custody, but the leader's son, the main suspect in the case, is still missing.
Shah and Bdawat were arrested in the evening after a preliminary probe established their alleged role in the fatal crash, news agency PTI reported quoting an official from Worli police station.
Both have been booked under sections, including 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which recently replaced the Indian Penal Code, the report quoted an official as saying. Rajesh Shah is the deputy leader of the of Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in Maharashtra's Palghar district.
The Mumbai police have, meanwhile, issued a Look Out Circular (LoC) against Mihir Shah. Quoting a senior police officer, The Indian Express reported that a LoC has been issued against Mihir suspecting he could flee the country to save himself from the arrest.
Once a LoC is issued against someone, they cannot travel out of the country from airports or ports. If the person still tries to escape, then immigration personnel can detain them and hand them over to concerned law enforcement.
The BMW Hit And Run Case
A fisherwoman was killed and her husband injured after a BMW car rammed into their two-wheeler in Mumbai's Worli early on Sunday and dragged the victims nearly for a 100 metres on the car's bonnet.
The accident occurred near the Atria Mall around 5.30 a.m. The victims were identified as Kaveri Nakhwa, 45, who fell from the bonnet and died, while her husband Pradip Nakhwa, 52, sustained serious injuries in the crash, that came as they were returning after buying fish from the Sassoon Dock for selling in the local markets.
The luxury car involved in the crash was allegedly driven by Mihir Shah, the son of Rajesh Shah, a Palghar leader of the ruling MahaYuti ally Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. After getting the information about the accident, the Worli police rushed to the spot but Mihir had fled the scene by then.
Twenty-four-old accused had reportedly gone for a late-night party with some friends in the Juhu area and then started for home, but en route, he insisted to the driver that he wanted to drive, police said.
He took the wheel of the BMW and minutes later crashed into the scooter on which the Nakhwe couple were riding near Worli, according to a report by news agency IANS.
CCTV Footage Surfaces
As police searched for Mihir Shah, a CCTV footage showing the key accused has gone viral on social media. The video shows Mihir leaving a pub in a Mercedes car with four of his friends. He changed the car later and was driving the BMW while his driver was in the passenger seat, a report by NDTV said quoting police.
Mumbai Police is, meanwhile, scouring the CCTV footage of the entire route and also enquiring with morning walkers or joggers in the vicinity at the time of the crash.
Victim's Family Grieves
Deceased's husband, Pradip Nakhwa, who is grieving the loss of his wife, told news agency IANS that he saw Mihir Shah inside the luxury car that hit his scooter. " It happened right in front of me… The car rammed us… I saw him inside the car… and asked him to stop, but he ran away from there," he said, choking with tears.
Politics Rife Over The Incident
Shiv Sena-UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray slammed the government and demanded immediate punitive action against the accused youth for the fatal crash. "I met the Worli police station staffers probing the hit-and-run case. I am not going into the political affiliations of Mihir Shah, the accused, but I expect the police will catch him soon and bring him to justice. Hopefully, there will be no political refuge to him from the regime," said Thackeray, the MLA from Worli.
Thackeray, along with SS-UBT MLC Sunil Shinde, also went to meet the family of Nakhwa and assured his party would do everything to ensure justice for them.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, while speaking about the incident, said the law was equal for everyone and no one would be spared. Asked if the man involved in the accident was a Shiv Sena leader's son, the CM just said, The law is equal for all and the government sees every case in the same way.
"There will be no separate rule for this accident. Everything will be done as per the law. The police will not shield anyone. The Mumbai accident is unfortunate. I have spoken to the police department to take strict action," he added.
Reminder of Porsche Crash
The case comes less than two months after the May 19 Porsche accident case in Pune's Kalyani Nagar area. Two IT professionals hailing from Madhya Pradesh were killed after the Porsche, allegedly driven by an inebriated minor driver, rammed into their motorcycle. The case hit national headlines after the boy was given bail by the Juvenile Justice Board on lenient terms and the Pune police uncovered an effort allegedly involving the accused's parents and doctors of Sassoon Hospital to switch blood samples to nullify alcohol tests and also force the family driver take blame for the crash.