A 45-year-old woman was killed and her husband was injured after the two-wheeler on which they were travelling was hit by a BMW car in Mumbai's Worli area in the early hours of Sunday. The luxury car was allegedly driven by 24-year-old Mihir Shah, son of a senior Shiv Sena leader.
According to police, Mihir Shah was drunk when his car hit the two-wheeler near the Atria Mall around 5.30 AM on Sunday. The accused has been absconding since then. The Mumbai police have, meanwhile, issued a Look Out Circular (LoC) against him suspecting he could flee the country to save himself from the arrest. Four police teams are currently searching for him.
Fish sellers Kaveri and Pradip Nakhva were returning after buying fish from Sassoon Dock when their scooter was hit from behind by the BMW. Police said that due to the impact of the crash, the couple was flung in the air and landed on the car's bonnet. "While Pradeep managed to jump off the car, Kaveri was dragged for 100 metres. She died on the way to the hospital," they said.
Who is Mihir Shah?
Mihir Shah is the son of Rajesh Shah, a senior leader of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in Maharashtra's Palghar district. Mihir, who is 24-year-old, discontinued his studies after class 10th. After his studies, he joined his father's construction and real estate business in Maharashtra.
The night before the accident, Mihir was out till late at night drinking in Juhu. However, the owner of the pub that Mihir visited, said that he did not have an alcoholic beverage, but only drank an energy drink.
In a CCTV footage that surfaced on social media, Mihir was seen a pub in a Mercedes car with four of his friends. In a drunk state, 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.
After the crash, the accused reportedly tried to scratch off a Shiv Sena sticker on the car and removed its number plate to avoid it being linked to his father. The BMW was later found abandoned in Kala Nagar in the Bandra East area. According to police, Mihir left his car there before fleeing in an auto-rickshaw.
According to a report by India Today, the Initial probe suggests that Mihir went to his girlfriend's house before absconding.
Mihir has, meanwhile, been booked under various sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sahita, including 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 281 (rash and negligent driving endangering human life), 125-B (endangering life and personal safety), 238, 324(4) (committing mischief amounting to cause loss and damage).
Action Taken So Far
Police arrested Mihir's father Rajesh Shah and his driver, Rajendra Singh Bijawat, last evening for not cooperating with the police, among other charges. They will be produced in court today. The car involved in the accident was found registered under Rajesh Shah's name.