New Delhi: Mihir Shah - the main accused in the Mumbai BMW hit-and-run case - was arrested Tuesday evening. A total of 12 people, including Shah's mother and two sisters, were taken into custody.
Police believe the mother and sisters helped Shah - the son of politician Rajesh Shah, a member of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena faction - evade arrest for over 72 hours.
The cops must now decide if the three women - arrested from Shahpur - will be listed as accused.
The police had formed multiple teams to catch Mihir Shah, who was eventually tracked down to an apartment in Virar, which is around 65 km from Mumbai. He was taken to the Worli Police Station.
"They Take Votes, Treat Us Like Garbage": Husband
However, the husband of the woman killed has downplayed Shah's arrest, pointing out the odds are still stacked against him in his and family's search for justice. "We are poor. Who is there to support us... today, he will be sent to jail. Tomorrow he will be produced in court and then he will get bail," he said.
READ | "They Take Votes, Treat Us Like Garbage": Husband
"He was arrested three days after the accident. Why was he hiding? If he didn't do anything, if he didn't have alcohol or drugs, why did he run?" he said tearfully.
Congress On The Attack
In a predictable political addition to the narrative, Congress leader Varsha Gaikwad turned up at the police station, declaring "this is not a hit-and-run... it is murder" and demanding appropriate charges.
"... if he had stopped the car, then this would not have happened. Instead, he drove the vehicle fast and dragged her for a long time and she died..." she said. She also hit out over the delay in the arrest.
"Police took three days to arrest the accused... now alcohol can't be traced in his body. Why did this happen? He should have been arrested on the same day..." she said.
Worli BMW Crash: Car Rams Bike
Mihir Shah was allegedly driving the BMW - after spending Rs 18,730 at a Juhu bar, where he partied for hours with four friends - when it rammed into the two-wheeler at 5.30 am on Sunday.
Shortly before Shah was arrested today the bar - the Vice - Global Tapas - was sealed.
READ | Bar Where Sena Leader's Son Was Drinking Before Crash Sealed
The woman who was killed has been identified as Kaveri Nakhwa, 45. She was with her husband, Pradip, who escaped with injuries. The two were reportedly shopping for fish to cook for a family meal.
READ | 72 Hours After BMW Crash, Cops Think Mihir Shah, Family Hiding Out
Hours earlier police sources told NDTV they believed Shah, his mother, and his sister had gone underground together after the accident, and that the latter two may have helped him hide.
The father - Rajesh Shah - had been arrested on Sunday but released on bail a day later.
READ | Sena Leader, Father Of Accused In BMW Case, Gets Bail
The only accused still in jail is Rajrishi Bidawat - the driver allegedly forced to give control of the BMW to Mihir Shah. He may have been told to pretend he was driving when the accident happened.
Bidawat was today sent to police custody till Thursday.
All three face multiple charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Worli BMW Crash: What Happened?
Police sources have revealed a rough sequence of events to NDTV.
According to the cops, on Sunday Mihir Shah left home for a party at the Vice - Global Tapas Bar. At that time he was driving a Mercedes registered to his father. Four friends accompanied him.
The five were at the bar till 11 pm; NDTV has seen a copy of the Rs 18,730 bill.
READ | Hours Before BMW Crash, Sena Leader's Son Was At A Bar, Bill Emerges
At 1.15 am (on Monday) Mihir Shah drove his friends - in the Mercedes - back home.
READ | CCTV Footage Shows Sena Leader's Son In Mercedes Before BMW Crash
At 4 am he told Bidawat to take him for a 'joy ride' on Marine Drive in the BMW.
At 5 am, after driving up and down Marine Drive, the car was turned home.
Police believe the car reached Kalanagar when Shah swapped seats with Bidawat.
If true, this means Shah was driving the car when it hit the bike at 5.30 am.
Woman Dragged For 1.5 Kilometres
Horrific details have emerged of the crash, including CCTV footage that indicates Ms Nakhwa was dragged for 1.5 km after the collision before the BMW was stopped.
The police said the footage also indicated Shah then exchanged seats with Bidawat, pulled the woman's body out from under the car, and left it on the road. The car was then driven away.
READ | In Mumbai BMW Case, Woman Dragged For 1.5 Km, Run Over Twice
But, in an even more horrific turn of events, the driver reportedly reversed the car to run over her body one more time before speeding off and out of the CCTV's field of vision, the police said.
Bidawat was, therefore, "aware of his actions and helped the other accused", the police told a court that questioned the culpable homicide charge against the driver.
"If He Stopped For A Second...": Husband To NDTV
The husband spoke to NDTV and lamented the shock death of his wife.
READ | "My Child Wants Mother...": Husband Of Mumbai Crash Victim
"I ran behind the car for half a kilometre, but could not find the body. I was crying, screaming, but he did not stop. If he had stopped for a second, nothing would have happened," Mr Nakhwa said.
"No One Will Have Immunity": Chief Minister
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expressed alarm at the "rise in hit-and-run incidents in Maharashtra." He said that the powerful and influential attempt to misuse their status to manipulate the system and such abuse of power will not be tolerated by his government
"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 of the State. I have zero tolerance for injustice," Shinde said in a post on X.
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