BMW hit-and-run case: Shiv Sena leader remanded in 14-day judicial custody

MUMBAI: A Mumbai court on Monday remanded Shiv Sena leader Rajesh Shah in a 14-day judicial custody in a fatal BMW hit-and-run case, in which his son, who was allegedly behind the wheel at the time of the crash, was on the run.

The Sena leader's son, Mihir Shah (24), was allegedly driving the BMW car which fatally knocked down a woman, Kaveri Nakhwa (45), and injured her husband Pradeep while the couple was on their two-wheeler in Mumbai’s Worli area on Sunday morning, police said.

The Shah family's driver, Rajrishi Bidawat, also an accused in the case, was sent to police custody till Tuesday by Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (Sewree court) S P Bhosale.

Rajesh Shah, who owns the car, and Bidawat, who was in the luxury vehicle at the time of the accident, were arrested on Sunday for allegedly helping Mihir escape after the crash, and they were produced before the court on Monday. The police have booked all three under a range of charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

However, the court noted that Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) did not apply to Rajesh Shah, a leader of the ruling Shiv Sena from neighbouring Palghar district.

The court remanded the politician in 14-day judicial custody and sent his driver to one-day police custody.

Mihir Shah was still absconding and the police have formed six teams to arrest him. A Look Out Circular (LOC) has also been put out against Mihir Shah to prevent him from fleeing the country.

The deceased Kaveri Nakhwa was going with her husband Pradip on the arterial Annie Besant Road in Worli when the luxury car's driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed it into the couple's two-wheeler around 5.30 am on Sunday.

After the accident, the accused fled towards the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. Mihir Shah left the car and his driver Bidawat, who was sitting next to him, near Kala Nagar in Bandra and escaped.