Father of BMW hit-and-run accused gets bail, driver in jail

MUMBAI: A day after a woman died in a hit-and-run involving a BMW allegedly driven by the son of a Shinde Sena functionary, police revealed the 45-year-old victim who was dragged was run over later. They also said the neta told the family driver to swap seats with his son and take the blame.
On Monday, Sena functionary Rajesh Shah was sent to judicial custody and granted cash bail of Rs 15,000.His chauffeur, 30-year-old Rajrishi Bidawat, was sent to police custody for a day. They were arrested Sunday for helping main accused Mihir flee. Shah's lawyer said the charge of culpable homicide was not applicable as Shah was neither at the spot nor driving the car.
'Pinned by her saree, woman dangled between bumper & wheels for 1.5km'
Police sources said footage from CCTV cameras showed Mihir was driving the car when it knocked down a couple on a scooter at Worli on Sunday, killing Kaveri Nakhwa and injuring her husband, Pradip.
As the couple landed on the car bonnet, Mihir slammed the brakes, resulting in the husband falling off. "But the woman's saree got hooked to the car and she was dragged more than 1.5km," the source said, adding that the woman was somehow dangling between the bumper and a front wheel.
Police sources said that the court was told that CCTV footage showed Mihir stopped the car after reaching the Worli-end of the sea link. He and Bidawat pulled the woman away and placed her by the street. Then they got in and swapped seats. The chauffeur then backed up a bit before revving up again. "But for some reason, the vehicle ran over the woman lying on the road," said the police source.
Mihir then called up his father to inform him about the accident, another source said, adding that the neta "instructed him to escape".
At Kala Nagar, Bandra (east), the car developed a technical problem. Mihir fled in an auto rickshaw while the chauffeur stood beside the vehicle. The plan was to call for a towing van and take the car away. They had also removed the number plate, said police.
Mihir had called up a friend who has a vehicle repair shop and told him there was some problem with the car, police said. This friend was asked to come to Bandra. When the police reached the spot, they found the chauffeur next to the BMW. After some time, the neta reached there. Later, Mihir's friend also came to the spot. The police took all three to Worli police station where the friend's statement was recorded.
More than 36 hours after the accident, the neta's son, who had visited a pub in Juhu hours before the accident, remained untraced Monday evening. The neta's son and his friends had run up a bill of over Rs 18,000 Saturday night.
Three other friends of Mihir, who were seen in CCTV footage leaving the Juhu pub, were also questioned. The pub employees were interrogated to know if Mihir had consumed alcohol. Police are questioning several of Mihir's friends whom he called up after the accident.
A police team also visited the Shah family home at Vadrai, Palghar at Mahim locality. The neta's party office in Palghar remained closed on Monday. The neta's wife and daughters are also not at home. Police have formed 14 teams to trace Mihir. Crime branch office are also on the lookout for him.